by Sophie Vaughan
In 1948, Eleanor Lambert, an established fashion publicist, created the “Costume Institute Gala”. This was a fundraiser for the brand new Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. In the beginning, the event was meant to be a small gathering of the highest people in New York’s society and tickets were only $50. In recent years, the MET Gala has grown from its humble beginnings to one of the most anticipated cultural and artistic events in the world, in addition to it being a fundraiser. Though the Gala raises millions of dollars, the event is known to most as a fashion show for the richest and most elite people in society.
"The MET Gala is one of the only ways to know who is currently on top, especially seeing who gets dressed by whichever designers. They always set trends or highlight current ones that are now growing across media."
This past year, the theme of the MET Gala, which was held on May 1, 2024, was “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty”. This theme was a tribute to the recently late notorious fashion designer, Karl Lagerfeld, who created his own brand after gaining unforgettable experiences with Chanel and Fendi. This theme was meant to celebrate the works of Karl Lagerfeld and his influence on the fashion industry.
This creative design and aesthetic was goaled to repurpose old iconic pieces. The new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art paid a memoir to the iconic life of Karl Lagerfeld’s range of designs. The attendants of the Gala for this theme were meant to pay an homage to his prolific career, yet as the normal attendants of the MET Gala do, it is ignored among half of them. The attendants collaborate with their designers to create the look that will make them stand out and become a symbol of fashion excellence.
Another thing the MET Gala ignores is social and political issues. With America buzzing about the fashion, who looks incredible and who does not, the entire country stops paying attention to what really matters. It is easy to forget that among the glitz and glamor, there has been a war going on in Gaza. There are families being completely taken out, land being destroyed, and history wiped away. The tone deafness of an extravagant event like the MET at a time like this in the world has been widely critiqued and bashed across social media. For days and days on end, the media majorly blasted about the events of the Gala instead of the turmoil and horror going on across the world. Debates have been raging on social media, specifically Instagram, Twitter/X, and Tik Tok about the insensitivity of continuing with an event like this. The evolution of the conversation of what say celebrities should have on political events has continued and the appropriateness of hosting and attending events instead of helping or striking.
"It was crazy to see all of these celebrities laughing about struggling to get out of their black SUV limousines and moving in their dress when people across the world are struggling to find food and shelter."
People of all generations have been shared on social medias that the fundraising for event should have been dedicated to helping Gaza rebuild and feed the troubled families. The amount of money spent on hosting and attending the MET Gala has been deemed ethically questionable when there are so many resources that are needed for aid in conflict zones affected by the war. As users scroll through Tik Tok and Instagram, they come across a mixture of posts sharing support for Israel and Gaza, against Rafah, informational posts and posts writing and speaking against the war have taken the daily feed.
“I am a struggling artist. I am freshly out of college, and in New York City, nonetheless. Attending Columbia, there have been countless rallies, or talks of rallies, among the current classes attending. We chose to rally and speak out publicly so they had to hear us. None of us expected the police and school to punish us for using the voices that they tell us to use. Social media is the only way we can really be heard and get all of our thoughts out. We can find people that relate to our thoughts and opinions. We can donate what we can to help without vanity. I don’t need every single meal of the day, so if donating a few of mine means I go hungry for a few hours or half of a day, what difference does that make?”
I believe the MET Gala was extremely insensitive and surprising it was still hosted at all. Seeing celebrities and influencers that do publicly speak out against the war on Gaza, it was incredibly surprising to see who some of the attendants were. This could have been the perfect opportunity for a few words on politics and current humanitarian issues, and that was never brought up. While I firmly believe that the event should not have happened this year in the first place, there could have been so much awareness spread from the red carpet press before the actual Gala and helpful money donated from the fundraising. One of the easiest ways towards a solution would be with the right financial support and benefits. Speaking out on social media is not enough. As the war continues to grow, so does the social media presence with speaking on the subject. The opposing sides continue to fight against each other, in Gaza and on Instagram. It is time to put more efforts towards ending this fight, donations need to be made, calling political presences that can speak out or do something is more vital than ever.