The Met Gala is a notorious event for high-class fashion designers and celebrities all over the world. Each year, notorious A-List celebs attend the annual benefit. This year seven well-known TikTok influencers were also at the event, including Addison Rae and Emma Chamberlain, and it raised speculation from numerous people online.
Addison Rae, a 20-year-old TikTok star known most famously for dancing, attended the event after the release of “He’s All That”, a modern take on the classic “She’s All That” movie starring Rachael Leigh Cook. Despite the movie’s mixed reviews, Rae had officially made her way to the big screen. Along with this, she released her own fashion and makeup line and her own music. Along with being one of the most famous TikTok stars to date, she is an ambassador for multiple brands such as American Eagle, SKIMS, and FashionNova.
Emma Chamberlain is a famous TikTok user and YouTuber, with her channel being supported by almost 11 million subscribers. Her popular vlogs, fashion sense, and routines attract attention from this generation of teenagers and young adults. Along with winning the Stream Award in 2018, she also made it to Time Magazine’s 100 Next list in 2019. She started her own coffee company, claiming coffee is “a way to connect.” Her company has been reviewed and loved by people at Forbes, Vogue, Refinery 29, and PopSugar.
Rae and Chamberlain faced major backlash from the media after learning they would attend this year’s Met Gala. Some believed they were simply not famous enough to be considered A-list celebrities. People took to Twitter and Instagram to express their thoughts on the matter. One upset fan wrote, “Addison Rae on the same list as Beyonce, Jlo, Blake, and Gaga is the most offensive thing I’ve seen.” Others attacked Chamberlain saying, “And Emma Chamberlain omg that’s so embarrassing. Met Gala isn’t what it used to be anymore.”
The majority of people who had something to say about the matter were not happy. Another wrote, “I never understood this. Isn’t the Met Gala meant for art? Like a lot of these I get but Addison Rae? Emma Chamberlain? Are they going to do some dance and wear vaguely thematically related Brandy Melville?”
Passionate opinions circulated for weeks after the event and, fans are worried there might be a reoccurring pattern between high-class events and incoming influencers.
Many fans believed there was nothing wrong with Rae and Chamberlain, among other influencers, attending the event. One fan, in particular, ran to Rae’s rescue, saying “Addison Rae is just as famous to a 15-year-old as Brad Pitt. These people make up the media they consume, just like “a-listers” did in the media our parents consumed.” As the media changes, this generation of teens truly controls who gets famous in this industry. Whether people like it or not, the widespread users of new and old social media platforms reflect largely on the people in the spotlight, and their efforts do not go unnoticed.
As media continues to question the celebrities attending these events, there are no indications that the Met Gala will slow their flow of influencers in the upcoming years. Whether fans like it or not, it is likely that as social media platforms grow, more influencers, YouTubers, and TikTokers will be in attendance at events as prestigious as the Met Gala.