Madison Kwiecinski 

News Editor 

Mvk5945@psu.edu

The 2021 Met Gala took place on September 13th, with live red carpet coverage accompanying the start of the event. The Met Gala is a night where celebrities and the Hollywood elite gather in spectacle to celebrate and fundraise a new exhibit from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, after which the event is themed each year. 

The Met gala is the equivalent to the fashion world’s Oscars, a unique event where it is acceptable to use your clothes as a way of making a statement. 

That is exactly what several famous icons did at the event, using this unique time to act in a form of protest fashion. Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, NY Representative Carolyn B. Maloney and Cara Delevingne were among some of the most prominent examples of protest fashion at the gala. 

Maloney wore a gown covered with the purple, white, and gold colors of the suffrage movement and a sash that read, “Equal Rights for Women.” The Representative was making a statement advocating for the proposed Equal Rights Amendment, which would amend the U.S. Consitution to eliminate discrimination on the basis of sex. Her bag also read “ERA YES” as she entered the Gala. 

Cara Delevinge came to the gala dressed in all white, with a vest that seemed to almost mimic a bullet proof, yet fashionable, vest as a top. Her vest made a statement, with all red lettering adorning the front reading: “Peg the Patriarchy.” Her outfit was accompanied by all white long pants, and all white satin heels. Delevingne offered less explanation about her outfit than many others in attendance, saying that if you did not already understand what it meant, it was better to look it up because she would not be explaining. Delevinge’s outfit was a way of “sticking it to the man” and was definitely a unique, if not less direct, method of protest fashion. 

Congresswoman Ocasion-Cortez was the clearest form of protest fashion visible at the event, with a distinct and important message she was trying to bring into a clearly targeted venue. At first glance, AOC wore a lovely, long white dress, with tulle at the bottom and beautiful lace-up red heels. However, the back of the dress had a bold message, also written in all red visible lettering: “Tax The Rich” 

This dress has by far received the most criticism and backlash. However, I highly doubt the backlash has much to do with the dress itself, and likely has much more to do with the place in which this message was brought into. 

The cost for a seat at the Met Gala starts at $35,000 with tables being purchased for anywhere from $200,000 to $300,000. The 2021 gala raised a record-breaking $16.75 million and is the primary source for the institute’s annual budget. 

AOC has been accused of being hypocritical with her fashion choice for an event she attended, specifically aimed at the elite. People on both sides of the political aisle have accused her of using this fashion statement as a scapegoat for her attendance at an elitist event in which almost none of her constituents will ever be able to afford to attend. 

However AOC is a congresswomen, and therefore, on average, makes at least $174,00 a year. No one should still be expecting her to live a struggling life, or even to avoid attending events fitting for her position. AOC may be among the wealthier class, but that is all the more reason her opinion of economic equality and taxation of the upper class should matter. 

Anticipating backlash regarding her outfit for the Gala, AOC stated in a tweet, “New York elected officials are routinely invited to and attend the Met due to our responsibilities in overseeing and supporting the city’s cultural institutions for the public. I was one of several in attendance this evening.”

AOC was doing more than just wearing a dress, she was representing issues and starting a conversation among a group of the elites where these issues rarely ever get discussed. Her choice of an all white gown was meant to mimic the long history of American congresswomen wearing the shade in reference to the women’s suffrage movement. AOC had previously worn an all white suit to her swearing-in ceremony in 2019, later saying on Twitter that it was in honor of “the women who paved the path before me, and for all the women yet to come.”

Aurora James, Ghanaian Canadian designer, created AOC’s dress and accompanied her to the Gala. Both of their tickets, despite backlash for attending the expensive event, were complementary as AOC was a guest of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. James is the founder and creative Director of Brother Vellies, a luxury accessories brand centered on keeping traditional African design techniques alive. She is also the founder of the 15 percent pledge, a pledge she has inspired companies to take to provide 15% of their shelf space to balck-owned businesses. 

In a statement after the event she said, “…We all had a conversation about Taxing the Rich in front of the very people who lobby against it, and punctured the 4th wall of excess and spectacle.” That was exactly what AOC aimed to do at the event, as she effectively used protest fashion to bring a message in front of the group of people who needed to hear it the most.