This year, the Met Gala was highly anticipated after being cancelled in 2020. The theme, “America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” spurred a myriad of outfits that sparked heated debate in the hours following. However, the truly “American” thing about the event was the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protestors arrested right outside while the Gala’s powerful attendees enjoyed a wonderfully lavish evening.
And the protestors’ objective? After heated BLM protests in the summer of 2020, the New York Police Department (NYPD) had shown little to no change in their behavior towards the Black and Brown communities. Most recently, they were allocated $11 billion in resources rather than allocating that money to POC communities that were on the verge of being unhoused. The protesters’ demands included defunding (and eventually abolishing) the NYPD, as well as ending the relocation of the unhoused population from hotels into shelters. Nine protestors in total were arrested outside the event—most likely for the “safety” of the influential people inside.
But that is not to say the Met Gala doesn’t have any benefit to us as a society. When the outfits and the themes are finally released, it is pure entertainment that takes over social media and TV platforms for the whole week. I myself am enthralled by the glamour and mystique of the event. Fashion is an art form, and the week is most definitely a way for designers to be their most eclectic.
However, the Gala, at its heart, is a fundraiser revolving around socio-economic schemes of privilege. In attendance were influencers and politicians, including Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Congresswomen Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio—someone who has direct power to defund the NYPD. It doesn’t seem quite right that millions are raised for a museum on stolen land that Black and Brown people suffer on. And worse yet, the money does not even go to uplifting those communities. The only way it gets into the hands of a POC is if they are politically or influentially exceptional.
In a way, it seems that the wealth and privilege of the attendees are highlighted by their failure to represent POC at the Gala. Specifically, there were no Indigenous American designers showcasing their work and only one Indigenous American person, Quannah Chasinghorse, was invited. This could have been the perfect opportunity to showcase Indigenous Americans, but what we saw was a gross underrepresentation.
Second, Cara Delevingne’s “Peg the Patriarchy” outfit was actually a trademark by Luna Matatas, an independent POC artist and sex educator who received no mention from Delevingne or the designer at the event. Finally, Kim Kardashian’s Balenciaga outfit seemed quite hypocritical as the dress echoed Burqas but had the opposite public response. In fact, in many European countries, Muslims are banned from covering their faces or bodies.
Now, that is not to say I blame or shame those who attended the event. Many are advocates for BLM, the LQBTQ + community, Indigenous people and other marginalized groups. I just can’t help but see that the most American thing about the event were the protestors being arrested right outside and the wealthy white majority who did nothing to prevent it from happening.