Kim Kardashian covers entire face with 'strange' nude mask at Academy Museum Gala, sparks online mystery

When it comes to daring fashion choices, Kim Kardashian is never one to back down. 

On Saturday, the SKIMS founder, 44, arrived at the fifth annual Academy Museum Gala wearing a nude-colored strapless corseted gown from the Maison Margiela Fall 2025 Couture collection, paired with a matching mask that covered her entire face. 

The decision to cover her face sparked mixed reactions online. 

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"It's unnecessary and distracting to watch her contort her body to the point she cannot breathe," one user wrote on X. "The fashion could be appreciated 'as art' better if those viewing weren't thinking about how it feels to wear it."

"I find this so strange," another wrote.

"What's she hiding," one user asked on X. 

Despite the speculation, some were quick to praise the mom-of-four for her risky decision. 

"Wait I'm obsessed," one fan wrote on X. 

"I actually like this," another added. 

The "Kardashians" star seemed to have poked fun at her look while her makeup artist, Mario Dedivanoic, worked on the "final touches."

"Mario, do I look OK? The make-up?" she said in the clip Dedivanoic shared to his Instagram Stories.

"Your make-up looks amazing, yes," he joked.

 "It's good? All that hard work, guys," she responded.

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This isn't the first time Kardashian has faced fashion-related criticism. 

Last week, Kardashian and her daughter North were the subject of intense online criticism after the 12-year-old was photographed in Rome wearing a corset-style top with a skirt and blue hair. 

"I think like any mom of a teenager or a preteen, unless you've been here, like, please, we just need a little bit of grace," she told Alex Cooper during an appearance on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast.

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The reality TV star added, "I just think anyone that's raising kids, especially four kids by myself, I'm doing the best that I can and my babies are good babies. So I just urge everyone to like not be judgmental and to have grace [for] single moms trying to figure it all out with like you know a preteen. It's a lot, if you know you know."

"It's interesting because all the kids are like wearing the same things, but then my daughter tries to wear it, and then I'm like, 'OK, we're never wearing that again,'" the SKIMS founder noted. "Unfortunately, we made that mistake in front of the whole world."

"She's usually a girl that dresses like a tomboy most of the time," Kardashian explained. "She wanted to try something that her friends were wearing and went to the same place that they went to, and they all got these outfits, and then she wears them, and it's just like, 'OK, wait, maybe you can't wear that.' And so as a mom, you're kind of learning at the same time."

Fox News Digital's Lauryn OVerhult contributed to this post.