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All that Glitters Isn’t Gold: The Met Gala meets the loss of reproductive rights in America
The Met Gala, the annual fundraising ball for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, has always been a spectacle. In recent years, critics have derided it for being tone-deaf, aggrandizing money and glamour at a time when many Americans are facing housing insecurity, hunger, unemployment, inflation, racism, and oh yeah, a pandemic. In 2021, AOC drew widespread criticism from both sides of the political spectrum when she wore a white gown proclaiming “Tax the Rich” in lipstick red letters. Anna Wintour has been called out for her friendship with Harvey Weinstein and her propping up of his ex-wife’s brand, Marchesa. Clearly, the Met Gala is no stranger to controversy.
But for me, it’s never descended into the grotesque as much as it did Monday night.
The theme was the Gilded Age, which is understood (at least by historians, but not by most of the Met Ball’s attendees) to have taken place from about 1870 to 1900 in the U.S. All of the Kardashians were there, including Kim, wearing the actual dress Marilyn Monroe wore when she infamously sang “Happy Birthday” to JFK in 1962. Other women dressed in gold and sequins and black lace. There were turbans and robes and trains and bustles. The men mostly wore tuxedos, as usual, though there were some tails and bright colors. Some nailed the assignment while others missed it completely (looking at you, Sebastian Stan).
I’ve always loved the red carpet. It’s my favorite part of awards shows. The spectacle of the Met Gala is like catnip to me. One of my favorite things to do is click through slideshows and read commentary. I like to know what inspired the fashion, but I also just like to look at beautiful things. So after a long day of work, I clicked over to Twitter around 9 p.m. to look at pictures of beautiful people in over-the-top fashion.
But it very quickly became apparent that something wasn’t right. Half of the timeline was opulence, the other half was outrage. It was like looking at a cracked mirror, one half of your face higher than the other, everything fragmented and confused. Someone had leaked a draft SCOTUS opinion overturning Roe v. Wade. We knew this was coming, but the reality was a shock, like cold water or a dip in a roller coaster. My stomach…
