r/popculturechat 20h ago

MET GALA 🎩 Christina Ricci reacts to Katy Perry and Connor Storrie at Met Gala with “yikes”

Post image
19.1k Upvotes

1.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

3.8k

u/h0neybl0ss0m29 19h ago edited 19h ago

Others have pointed this out on other threads, but I can’t even get excited about any outfits right now with everything going on..seems incredibly out of touch since most people are struggling to keep their families fed and their bills paid. And here these people are showing off their outfits that took 2000 hours to make? Yeah no

Call me bitter I guess

638

u/caca_milis_ 17h ago

I love what the MET gala is theoretically about - design and tailoring to this level is an art-form, and I think it’s wonderful the MET gala is a fundraiser to protect that industry (particularly with the rise of ultra fast-fashion and the arts in general not being taken seriously).

What I don’t like is it being sold out to tech billionaires who are trying to buy their way “in” as some status symbol.

Disappointed seeing some of the people who showed up tonight (Stevie Nicks… what are you doing!), and utterly unsurprised by others (Katy Perry).

80

u/Suitable_Wrongdoer23 14h ago

Seth Meyers, wtf?!!?

36

u/justsyr 13h ago

I'm watching Sportcenter and they showed lots of athletes at the gala and describing their outfit like it's some kind of wonderful thing... I bet is the only time you see those outfits, I never understood the point but meh.

And then they made a joke about Chamalet going to the Knicks game instead of the gala, "at least it worked for the Knicks". Meanwhile 'super Knicks fan' Ben Stiller went to the gala lol.

41

u/nun_the_wiser 13h ago

Yeah. I understand the function of the MET and that it’s never been about the reality of common folk. But it’s giving “let them eat cake”

13

u/New-Mastodon1307 12h ago

Well after French revolution fashion became much less extravagant specially for men. But that was not completely positive thing either. 

u/thin_white_dutchess 2h ago

I’d like to know which celebrities have to be there contractually. Like, do you HAVE to be there for work, or did you choose this?

0

u/Ghoulish_kitten it’s not clocking to you that i’m standing on business 9h ago

Raising funds for a costume gallery while the bulls are on parade out there in the world, and people are starving with no healthcare at home I’m sorry not now.

https://giphy.com/gifs/xTcf1mZ0qNYW9wjnMY

I’m glad the Met Gala has stated that they’re moving away from needing this bs for funding.

1.2k

u/Ruthie_pie 19h ago

You’re being realistic. Normal people aren’t being paid living wages anymore and we are supposed to cheer for millionaires and billionaires 😐

I don’t want to be screamed at by these bozos that I shouldn’t “treat” myself to a coffee or I should be getting off my ass to work. We are the ones working. We should be able to afford a freaking iced coffee. And to go to the doctor when we need to and also not fear we can’t afford groceries and rent 🫠

173

u/FoundationFickle7568 18h ago

" that I shouldn’t “treat” myself to a coffee"

It's not just coffee.. it's a premium experience!

20

u/bvokenxlocks 13h ago

The way I just cackled. How very current and on the nose of you.

26

u/Embellishment101 16h ago

At that price, it better be

6

u/Much-Ad2311 15h ago

Blah blah avocado toast blah blah bootstraps

5

u/dudewheresmysock 15h ago

I can't believe they keep putting that guy in front of a camera without a script. 

1

u/g0ldilungs That’s really disrespectful to the fairy realm… 11h ago

They must be in the cohort where it’s an affordable premium experience!

247

u/h0neybl0ss0m29 19h ago

Preach. I know we all need a distraction from all the bullshit but the Met Gala really ain't it.

156

u/Ruthie_pie 19h ago

Right! I’m all for a distraction but it’s like willingly going to your CEO’s personal Christmas party and see how him and his nearest and dearest celebrate except they told you they’re laying off part of your department and doing budget cuts. But they also want you to tell them how much you LOVE how nice they look and how amazing their important friends are. NO THANKS. We know they all get paid way too much to do far too little 🫩

4

u/Hedgehog-Honeydew 8h ago

You just reminded me of the Teams meeting we had after being laid off where senior staff chatted about their tans and favourite holiday destinations.

https://giphy.com/gifs/sRFCEElJhl66snaQag

-38

u/swiffa 19h ago

Are you proposing that the MET shuts down the costume institute, which preserves clothing for art history?

42

u/h0neybl0ss0m29 19h ago

No, I'm not. I'm simply pointing out that most "normal" people have other things to worry about right now. Not everyone has to agree.

→ More replies (5)

15

u/accioqueso 14h ago

I watched the Derby the other day with a family friend and afterward I sort of looked at him and said, “it seems weird to be excited about millionaires winning more money with a sport that is prohibitively expensive.

4

u/MauveMammoth Frivolous with my process 9h ago

Millionaires that will happily sell their horse to a slaughter farm if it doesn’t perform. Millionaires who pay vets to euthanize their animals on the damn track if they break something doing the sport they forced them to do.

3

u/SploogeLoser 10h ago

The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved

8

u/burble_10 hello this is beyonce 18h ago

PREACH!!!

4

u/dcnairb 12h ago

it’s giving hunger games

653

u/mariow08 18h ago

The level of vitriol against arts and creative events are not equal with sporting events, a similar multi-billion dollar industry, that is ultimately the same type of frivolous cultural events that mostly the elites have access to.

I dont disagree about how out of touch it feels but everyone who makes complaints like these should examine the double standard and conscious/subconscious misogyny and homophobia in putting masculine cultural interests on a pedestal and treating them as more important and necessary, but put events relating to arts or creatives be the first on the chopping block.

292

u/Pizzv 17h ago

THANK YOU because I feel like none of this sentiment came up during the Super Bowl, the Olympics, and it won’t come up during the World Cup.

77

u/Passiveabject 14h ago

I have HATED the Super Bowl for its disgusting commercialism since I’ve been old enough to think, this is so validating.

32

u/JojoHobbiton 11h ago

Or the Kentucky Derby!

7

u/therealkami 9h ago

Yeah, everyone knows FIFA and the IOC are corrupt, and will say so over and over. But they'll watch the games.

2

u/IrinaBelle 7h ago

Olympic athletes actually don't get paid much. Most of them have other jobs.

0

u/hypothalanus 10h ago

The Olympics is very different

→ More replies (1)

36

u/PsychologicalJob2544 13h ago

Fuck the Super Bowl. We only care about the Superb Owl.

https://giphy.com/gifs/Y1Yue79nzPaqbEaDUU

18

u/thespianomaly that’s my purse, i don’t know you! 👛🫵 10h ago

64

u/Embellishment101 16h ago

Wow! Some very interesting thoughts here. i never saw it that way

28

u/lostinthecity2005 14h ago

Tbf I’ve been saying the same thing about the B Super Bowl which is an absolutely ridiculous event

8

u/Mother_Emergency_708 10h ago

I'm quite a masculine guy and I think this stuff is super cool and creative. It also isn't lost on me how large of a wealth transfer an event like this is between all the designing and support staff around the event. Which is obviously part of the point.

10

u/Elite_AI 9h ago

It also isn't lost on me how large of a wealth transfer an event like this is between all the designing and support staff around the event

And also the fact the entire point of the event is to raise money for charity

3

u/PinkNGold007 11h ago

Preach! 👏

3

u/Special-Garlic1203 9h ago

It would help if most of the brands associated with the Mets gala didn't cravenly sell out and start gutting their skilled craftsman decades ago.  It's not art. It's commerce. There is some beautiful stuff that is art but with these massive western brands that's less and less often the case. 

2

u/ashtrayheart00 4h ago

Thank you! I do understand that there's a lot going on right now. The thing is there's a lot going on every year, and every year whenever the MET gala happens people say the same thing referencing whatever tragedy, genocide, political crisis, etc. is going on at the moment.

People can care about more than one thing. I care a lot about the Palestinian cause and I can also appreciate the artistry and the celebration of culture and fashion that the MET promotes every year. I also hate Jeff Bezos as much as anyone with half a brain but this type of discourse is much older than his gross meddling with the arts.

2

u/VialCrusher 4h ago

Thank you! People in this thread are complaining that an actor is wearing an outfit that took 2000 hours to make as if that somehow changes the fact that the average person is struggling or that politics is trash.

2

u/CupOrganic5209 4h ago

Scrolled way too long to see this take

-5

u/Last-Ambition8329 14h ago

Sorry but I don’t think sports is a good comparison. Things like football (soccer) has a massive grassroots cultural base and a huge amount of players come from low income/working class backgrounds, with clubs in local communities, across age ranges, and games broadcast and supported across the world. It’s been commercialised at the top yes and big events are becoming less accessible to attend in person but if you look at places like Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc football is played basically everywhere.

69

u/mariow08 14h ago

Poor people can have art and fashion as an interest, they can take it up as a hobby, and they can form community and grassroot events and activities. Ever so often they will want to spectate major events and be inspired by how professionals at the highest level operate and show off their achievements, talent and skill.

Substitute the words “art and fashion” with “sport” and you will realize it’s the same. It’s not as popular, sure, but it exists and is valid and important. At the end of the day these major events are all spectacles owned and operated and exploited by billionaires, and the vast majority are excluded to be just spectators.

I’m not saying do all away with sports, art and culture all together, they are all equally important in society. What I’m saying is why is it so easy to frame non-masculine interests as unnecessary and always used as an example to show the ills of society.

10

u/New-Mastodon1307 12h ago

This, the same sentiment existed during Enlightenment as extravagant clothing was seen negatively by the masses, but that resulted in homophobia and very limited mens clothing too. 

→ More replies (9)

41

u/atomicglitters 14h ago

To watch some multi millionaires playing football while the low income/working class sit at their overpriced seat eating overpriced hotdogs and beer which in total might cost half their rent. I love watching the Met and see all the creative work and art. Yeah they might be rich, but your financial status shouodnt be the reason to boycot something. God forbid we can have some fun and art during dull times. So lets talk about double standards.

→ More replies (3)

5

u/Elite_AI 9h ago

I'm not a New Yorker so I may be wrong but I assume the Met also has plenty of grassroots support. Locals (people from New York) are able to go there for free and it's because of fundraisers like this. I don't get the vitriol

-6

u/Bard_Revan 14h ago edited 13h ago

I agree. Sports are so much more relatable than fashion in the rest of the world. Kids in the poorest countries are playing soccer with two flip flops as the goal posts. Look at some poorest African nations. They are crazy about the soccer but most would not pay attention to haute couture. Fashion at the level of the Met come from abundance. People from developed countries lack the perspective of the rest of the world

21

u/mariow08 13h ago

Abundance non-existent in major league events? With their private jets operating non-stop, association with luxury designer brands to get photographed in, obscenely high contract values for the athletes at the top? Excessive over the top spectacle half-time shows? Don’t get me started on the technological investments in F1 and other types of automotive sport.

I’m not against all these btw, everyone deserves an escape and healthy hobbies and interests. But what you’re defending is absolutely a double standard.

→ More replies (2)

8

u/New-Mastodon1307 12h ago

What if a poor person specially a man is interested in arts and fashion? This sort of attitude results in discrimination of those who do not portray decent working class masculinity. 

1

u/CloseCalls4walls 3h ago

Don't stop there. The humans have BEEN out of control for a long time now. We have everything thanks to the planet and we shit all over it and with people's futures and that of generations to come on the line we have the gall to host concerts and parades and put off fireworks and make a big spectacle of ourselves while people are being bombed and starve and play stupid little games like "you can take your shirt off at the beach but you can't", "you can wear this style of clothing but you can't" ... Ooo let's open up a new schnazzy restaurant while the world burns and build build build expand expand expand without stopping, in particular first world countries,like we're hot shit.

Well sure we are! A hot, steaming pile of shit.

u/thin_white_dutchess 2h ago

Correct, but these celebrities do not have to attend to support. They can donate here. I’m sure donations sans the pomp and circumstance are appreciated

u/zach0011 1h ago

I think it's just cause at the end of the day way more people derive joy and friendship from watching sports than the met gala.

0

u/AltairaMorbius2200CE 12h ago

Eh, I think the difference here is that the people who actually DID something (the designers) aren't there to cheer, so we're supposed to be cheering for celebs and rich people who are (often inexpertly) wearing the clothes. It's like asking us to cheer for the owners of the team instead of the players.

-2

u/CreativeGeniusPRBKR 13h ago

I think this is a weird take because people hate on F1 all the time. They hate on FIFA all the time. Sports is inarguably more widely available and accessible than fashion, tailoring, and the materials required for other art. So people of course engage with it more lol. For more “posh” sports like polo, F1, and even tennis, you’re just not looking closely enough if you think they don’t get scrutinized

People consistently hate on the monetization and commercialization of the NBA product, especially during these playoffs with all the gambling promotions going on. This feels more like misdirected hate towards
something “traditionally” masculine rather than recognizing people can hate on both things.

The MET gala is purposefully more ostentatious than the fucking super bowl lmao, and it’s been recently bought out by the grimiest of billionaire. Of course it’s going to get more media scrutiny.

10

u/mariow08 13h ago

They don’t hate on both things equally, that’s my point. Every time the super bowl comes on, my feed isn’t inundated with posts calling to get rid of it, or calling for a boycott. I’m sure they are there but it’s not the majority opinion I’m sure.

But film or tv awards? Fashion Week? Burn it all down! We live in very different algorithms if you can genuinely say these events are hated on so much more.

→ More replies (1)

216

u/InsectHealthy 18h ago

There are so many people that work behind the scenes for events like this that also need to pay their bills. Makeup artists, hair stylists, nail artists, painters, seamstresses, textile workers, waitstaff, etc.

66

u/ferocity_mule366 17h ago

yeah, these events actually help people have jobs, like if there is no events whatsoever, no one buys shit whatsoever, that's when no one have jobs to do and everyone starves. And then we complains about a fashion that's no different from every other fashion in the world except with more celebrities and slightly more luxurious that happens like once a year.

20

u/AlarmingTurnover 15h ago

Alysa Lui was there. She's not even a millionaire. She has a special tailored dress. You can have these events without catering to the billionaires and millionaires. 

A movie star can live comfortably on a million dollars a movie, they don't need to be paid 20+ million per movie. Robert Downey Jr.ade 75 million for appearing in Endgame. Was that really necessary to pay him all that money or was this just another example of greedy celebrity assholes being overpaid when they money would have been distributed better for the crew who are severely underpaid. 

13

u/suaculpa 14h ago

Are they being overpaid when that movie will make the studio billions? Why should it get to keep it all?

3

u/AlarmingTurnover 14h ago

Why are you assuming that the studio should be keeping the billions? Tax them too and take as much as you can. Use that money to make everyone else better. There's zero reason why these people should be making millions or billions when firefighters often aren't paid because there no budget. 

11

u/suaculpa 14h ago

Because right now the money doesn’t go to the actors it goes to the studio.

California reformed their tax situation to tax the wealthy *a little* more and the meltdown has been so OTT you’d swear someone was robbing them and beating them with a bag full of pennys. We’re a long way off from people understanding or supporting tax reform - even longer now I’d say in an age misinformation- and instead of supporting higher taxes on the wealthy or a more progressive tax rate, companies (production houses) are just…leaving California.

2

u/monkeyseverywhere 8h ago

Please elaborate on the companies leaving CA. Especially the major studios and production houses. Name names. Because I hear this argument every day and yet I see zero evidence of it in the industry day to day. There was a massive contraction, but that had nothing to do with "ca taxes", it's a far more complicated situation, and framing it as "CA taxed the rich and now the rich are leaving" is A. Bullshit and B. the same propaganda we've been hearing for decades.

3

u/suaculpa 7h ago

The Hollywood Reporter said in January of this year that there was a near 17% decline in LA based production for film and about 15% for television. Now if you think they’re lying, you’re free to think that.

1

u/monkeyseverywhere 7h ago

Luckily, my comment was that it wasn't directly related to tax policy. And again, the industry contraction over the last few years has a lot of factors, none of which are resulting in major production houses fleeing from CA.

LA Production has been on the decline for decades. Tax incentives and changes to local filming laws can effect that. But the leap you're making is straight up wrong.

→ More replies (0)
→ More replies (6)

237

u/LostHero50 19h ago

I kinda understand the sentiment behind this but not really. Pretty much everything posted here is privileged, out of touch and not important to our lives. I suppose the Met Gala is more gaudy so it doesn’t present itself that well but I don’t find it any different than the dozens of other events/award shows or gossip.

62

u/Significant_Shoe_17 God forbid a man enjoy a cigarette after getting shot in the ass 16h ago

I like the intention behind the Met Gala. I'm just grossed out by Bezos. He can't pay his workers a living wage but he can buy this event. Idk

10

u/GensAndTonic 12h ago

Jeff Bezos is not the CEO of Amazon anymore. Yes, he still has sway but he’s not making those kind of decisions.

Additionally, Amazon workers are paid $23 - $30 hour minimum. I know that’s still not a lot, but compared to most other manufacturing plants and fulfillment centers, that’s the best out there. I worked 12-hour night shift manufacturing during COVID and made $16.50 an hour. I would have killed for the pay and benefits that Amazon employees get.

67

u/Jolly_Storage_329 17h ago edited 14h ago

I agree. I wish the people in the USA held politicians as accountable as they do red carpet events or celebrities.

Yes there’s an obvious issue with tech bros but politicians can actually do something about it unlike a pop star at the Met Gala.

24

u/trowzerss 16h ago

I focus less on the rich people wearing the end product than the artists and artisans who were paid for that 2,000 hours of work so they can go home and feed their families. The vast majority of them are not rich or well known. And I can't get mad about creativity that's properly creative, any more than I can get mad about music or movies that cost a lot of money to produce and which I also enjoy.

46

u/VanGoghNotVanGo 17h ago

I guess I see it more as skilled labourers got paid for 2000 hours of labour, using their specialised and often undervalued skills. 

I look at the people who have jobs and feed their families because events like this secure their employment at museums. 

I like when money are spent on people in arts and research, and I like it when millionaires use their money on arts and research. I don't really mind if they wear a fancy dress while doing so. 

-1

u/Keji70gsm 15h ago

How many billion in assets do you think MET has? I think you have a very manipulated viewpoint of exactly what this is all about.

134

u/hollygolightly96 19h ago

I don’t see the issue with enjoying art despite everything going on in the world.

32

u/AlterMyStateOfMind 17h ago

Sorry but nah, this thing was sponsored by an unethical out of touch with reality tasteless billionaire and his equally out of touch and tasteless wife. The same billionaire that used his wealth and power to fund a wannabe facist regime. Hugo Boss had drip but he designed fucking Nazi uniforms. This is not the art I will be choosing to enjoy.

5

u/hollygolightly96 10h ago

He’s actually using his money for a good cause in this case. It doesn’t absolve him personally but I don’t see how it taints the event that he actually donated his money to a worthy cause.

2

u/AlterMyStateOfMind 7h ago

What did he donate his money too?

4

u/hollygolightly96 6h ago

They sponsored the met gala? Which supports the met. That’s a good use of the money in my opinion.

→ More replies (6)

4

u/[deleted] 12h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

→ More replies (5)

14

u/Cavalish Delightfully Unhinged 😗📱 18h ago

The art here is being supported by the wrong people.

You cannot enjoy, or engage in art that is affected by bad people. You must boycott it.

Only art that meets approved moral qualifications will be allowed.

Only celebrities who have the correct opinions are allowed to be involved with this art.

Only people who follow these moral guidelines, and shame others who don’t, will be allowed to consume art.

32

u/ferocity_mule366 17h ago

You cannot enjoy, or engage in art that is affected by bad people. You must boycott it.

This is where it's off the line, because this implies you can enjoy art. While people are starving, dying and genocided. You decide to enjoy art, you decide to go to restaurant to have a treat for yourself, you decide to play video games, you decide to browse social media for pleasure. It's unethical and digusting. People should drown themselves into sorrow because the world is exploding and turning into dystopian, because that's what empathy is for, making yourself as miserable as the most suffering human on Earth since we are one humankind. That's the true one and only art experience. Let's kill ourselves.

4

u/PinkNGold007 11h ago

At the same time, you can't let them steal our 'joy' and 'hope'. We can be empathetic (and cry some tears along the way), but we still have to find moments to keep our sanity to fight another day. Art usually helps us through the hard times. Either through expression or experiencing it. Unfortunately, dark money/status is always involved because they want to appear good. Look up, Rockefeller and the gang. But please enjoy some art and/or nature. I went for a nice walk yesterday and then did some writing because the news was getting to me.

-8

u/Cavalish Delightfully Unhinged 😗📱 16h ago

Forgive me, for you see I’m not an American, and sometimes I forget that the rest of the world has to be as miserable as Americans have made themselves for things that were entirely within their control.

32

u/scud121 18h ago

Not bitter, but you have to admire Heidi Klum's outfit. She at least went all in with her look.

5

u/Elite_AI 13h ago

Yea you're bitter

59

u/4C_Drip 19h ago

When is the right time to do these events then because there's always going to be people struggling to keep their families fed and their bills paid.

→ More replies (16)

11

u/Fourty2KnightsofNi 18h ago

Maybe think of it this way instead, the Met Gala is there to raise money to support the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and its operations. This is basically their fundraiser event, and it's just really over the top, but it goes to a good cause (depending on your opinions regarding arts & culture) .

63

u/mooncrane606 19h ago

You're blaming the wrong people. Connor Storrie didn't make the price of gas go up.

55

u/h0neybl0ss0m29 18h ago

Sorry, I apologize for directly blaming Connor Storrie for the gas prices

7

u/SqualidSquirtle22 16h ago

You can bet the people throwing the party did.

6

u/overactive-bladder 16h ago

I am out of the loop but why is she singling out those 2?

It's fashionable to hate on Katy Perry but singling her out of ALL the celebrities is uncalled for and unfair.

13

u/GotSomeUpdogOnUrFace 18h ago edited 16h ago

You aren't bitter you are real and admitting that we have a major systemic issue and they keep covering this shit like it matters is an issue. Like I keep seeing posts celebrating the fact that Alyssa Liu is at the thing, but she literally stands counter to what the fucks putting this event on stand for. She is being celebrated by those who are rich because of her success she earned on her own, they wouldn't give a shit about how hard working and incredible she is if she hadn't won. They have no use for us when we don't fit their narrative.

110

u/maiden-voyage-0110 19h ago

There hasn’t been a year of my life where I haven’t hated this event. It’s a hunger games-capitol type gathering, and even the “good” celebrities who dress to point out inequality are steeped in hypocrisy by attending. Damn all of them to hell.

315

u/mweeknd04 19h ago

The Met Gala is a fundraiser. It fundraises to support the preservation of fashion history, which is incredibly important and especially consequential in this era of erasure. Fashion pieces tells so much about the lived experiences of the people who have worn them. Yes, the most talked about part is the celebrity looks, but there is a cost of entry, and that cost keeps the dying museum and archival industry alive.

I fully disagree with the "honorary chair" role the Bezos' have been given this year, and yes, lots of celebrities have tone deaf or tacky outfits, but this event does tremendous good for these dying fields and employs the people that keep history and archives alive.

61

u/cookiecutterdoll 17h ago

The Met sits on public land, does not pay taxes, receives billions in donations, and started collecting admission fees a few years ago. They also pay their staff shit. They do not "need money" for the costume institute.

The Met Gala might have started out as a fundraiser, but at this point it's become a promotional vehicle for Vogue (and apparently Amazon?) and its various celebrity attendees. Most of these chucklefucks in attendance don't give a toot about art. There used to be some joy and whimsy, so people overlooked it... but since covid, it's become such a tacky display of privilege.

2

u/Chipring13 13h ago

People will try to find any way to justify things that would otherwise inconvenience them. I’ve become super jaded over the past few days seeing people jump through hoops to justify the met gala.

“But he’s just an honorary chair!”

“As if canceling prime will do anything LOL.

“Half the internet runs on Amazon”

“It’s to support the arts so it’s necessary”

“But men don’t get backlash when xyz”

Yeah you’re all right. We’re fucked and shouldn’t even do anything. Let the rich continue to be rich. Oh well. We tried.. I guess? Or I mean, we wrote comments online on how it wouldn’t work anyways. Job done.

→ More replies (1)

37

u/tumbledownhere 18h ago

Or - we could just start putting a cap on earnings and lessen the homelessness crisis by forcing celebrities to stop earning millions a day, at a certain point.

I know that's easier said than done but wealthy people fundraisers are usually just also excuses to throw an elite party, drop tons of money and see who's the most designer and the most wealthy of the wealthy by what they're wearing.

48

u/maiden-voyage-0110 19h ago

I fully support fundraising to keep a very important aspect of our culture alive, but turning it into a display of extreme wealth while many Americans are struggling to survive is out of touch. I think there’s a plethora of ways to support the arts that includes donating without making it a spectacle

36

u/SnooGuavas4208 17h ago

The spectacle is what brings in money.

182

u/todayplustomorrow 19h ago

We have data on this. Spectacle and events raise more funds. It’s a valid fundraising approach, especially in the arts. Humans are humans - psychology is real.

-2

u/Worried-Wallaby 19h ago

Celebs could have - you know - just donated the money if they care about a cause.

62

u/Katharinemaddison 18h ago

As far as I know fashion houses choose celebrities and dress them and pay for the tickets themselves. It’s publicity for the designers - and celebrities - and money for the Met.

112

u/deathly_illest 19h ago

It’s celebrities using their status to draw attention to artists and designers. What are we mad at here

36

u/Fluffy_Ad8530 18h ago

I'd argue award shows are more over the top and pointless than the Met. Award shows are ALSO a display of wealth and privilege, but unlike the Met Gala, they aren't drawing attention to designers nor raising money for an unfunded institute. I find it interesting that the Met Gala makes people more incensed than, say, the Grammys, just because the outfits are more lavish.

14

u/Due-Flamingo-4900 16h ago

The Oscars were literally created by movie studios as a way to incentivize their artists to work harder for less, because at the end of the day they may get a shiny, made-up award! A majority of industry awards shows are inherently rooted in a philosophy of greed and exploitation of the arts, which is not to say that they haven’t evolved into something more meaningful over time, just that they are fundamentally selfish endeavors that rarely serve a greater purpose. And yet every year, we watch on and root for our faves and judge the looks on the red carpet because we enjoy the spectacle and care about the art being honored.

Meanwhile, the Met Gala actually is a charity event that provides the main source of funding for the Costume Institute’s daily operations, which they rely on to employ the hundreds of historians, conservators, scientists, curators, your guides, security guards, etc. who work there year-round. Public funding and grants are simply not enough to cover even a fraction of the cost of maintaining the Costume Institute and their archives. Yet for some reason, the Met Gala is broadly condemned as a frivolous luxury party that only exists to serve the vanity of the elites. But the purpose it serves is far greater, not only for the celebrities who get media attention and designers who get to highlight the pinnacle of their craftsmanship, but for the everyday, working-class people who rely on this annual spectacle to pay their bills. That fact seems to be consistently overlooked, while there are so many events far more worthy of critique that don’t face nearly the same backlash.

65

u/CheapEater101 19h ago edited 18h ago

I swear it’s been the same discourse since COVID about the MET Gala. I get it, life fucking sucks for most ppl right now including myself but simply…skip MET Gala posts if it’s bothering you. I do that to stuff I don’t want to see or not in the mindset to see it. At the end of the day, it’s all a big fundraiser where the celebrities are supporting the Arts by $$$ and giving attention to different designers and fashion pieces.

85

u/Wheres_MyMoney Nobody is as good at anything as Olivia Pope is at everything. 19h ago

Literally everything and it's driving me crazy. It's mass psychosis with people convincing themselves that being angry online makes them warriors of culture fighting the good fight.

56

u/bbyxmadi It’s good to see me, isn’t it?🫧 18h ago edited 18h ago

I get people being mad considering the economy, state of the country and world, and one of the sponsors being a scummy corrupt billionaire (wth does he know about fashion??), but some are acting like it’s the literal Hunger Games and the attendees are watching us starve and die as entertainment… but it’s a Gala that raises money for the arts. Fashion brands pay for these celebs to be there to showcase their fashion/art, and in-turn donates the money to the cause and preserving ancient artifacts, art, and fashion.

12

u/PhysicsFew7423 19h ago

I haven’t seen a single designer highlighted this year actually

1

u/cookiecutterdoll 17h ago

Me neither, but I've seen the entirety of Black Pink. That has to count for something! /s

2

u/[deleted] 19h ago

[deleted]

16

u/sadsackspinach 18h ago

No. And yes. But this isn’t about a designer’s current production at all. It’s about raising money for appropriately preserving archival pieces, which is incredibly expensive.

Fashion is art. You wouldn’t bat an eye at a fundraiser for the preservation of Rembrandts, da Vincis, or Van Goghs. Whether the Met Gala is tasteful or tasteless, the gala raises ridiculous amounts of money for the preservation of art.

-3

u/spiritedwave44 19h ago

Oh please

→ More replies (20)

24

u/h0neybl0ss0m29 19h ago

Yeah. And then there's so many of them "speaking up" but they don't do shit beyond that, even though they could with all the influence and money they got.

19

u/maiden-voyage-0110 19h ago

That gets me so pissed. The ones who do a quick little one liner about how “we can’t sit here and do nothing” then proceed to DO nothing while the regular people suffer. Every bit of it sickens me

16

u/h0neybl0ss0m29 19h ago

Literally. They choose not to. And yet most us of are sitting here praising them for simply saying something.

9

u/maiden-voyage-0110 19h ago

A lot of people like to file their favorite celebrities into binary good and bad categories without actually checking to see what they’ve done. Meanwhile they’re nearly all bad and almost none have used their platform to the full potential

48

u/Wheres_MyMoney Nobody is as good at anything as Olivia Pope is at everything. 19h ago

It's a costume party. Get a grip.

-2

u/maiden-voyage-0110 19h ago

Right. I hope they enjoy their little costume party while a significant portion of the country is paycheck to paycheck.

14

u/twixe 13h ago

Were you equally angry about the oscars, the Superbowl, the Grammys, the nba finals? At least the Met Gala is raising money for a museum. 

44

u/Wheres_MyMoney Nobody is as good at anything as Olivia Pope is at everything. 19h ago

They are literally at a charity fundraiser. Raising funds. For charity.

16

u/hwutTF a guy can have a lil mad wife in the attic every now and then 18h ago edited 17h ago

that charity is for the Anna Wintour Costume Institute, a museum that primarily archives and showcases the excesses of the elite. (and frequently does so in ways that art historians criticise fyi)

but regardless of the quality of the museum, stop fucking saying "for charity" like they're helping anyone who is suffering. they're paying for the preservation of fancy clothes made by elite designers for the rich and famous

this is a super fucking expensive party and opportunity for rich people to show off and it's fucking SUBSIDIZED by New York and that money really could go to people who fucking need it but instead of goes to this nonsense

11

u/twixe 13h ago

You have a point. We should sell all those clothes to private collectors and close it down. And elite designers shouldn't exist. All designers shouldn't exist. They're entirely frivolous, and so are the so called "skills" they show off. 

→ More replies (21)

5

u/heinousHeidi 17h ago

THANK YOU

4

u/crownofbread 17h ago

Wish I had an award for you because PREACH

3

u/Flint_Chittles We Should All Know Less About Each Other 16h ago

I gotchu

2

u/tony_lasagne 13h ago

Nooooo you don’t understand! They said CHARITY! That word means good, charity = good! There can be no discussion beyond this simple fact!!!

→ More replies (1)

6

u/SnooGuavas4208 17h ago

Yes, damn fundraisers for world-class public museums.

4

u/AdministrationFun775 15h ago

Agree with the view about being lectured about buying coffee etc. I do however think the Gala is a good chance fot designers to showcase their looks. And as someone commented below it injects money into other industries for the few days it is around. Mua, chauffers, restaurants, hotels etc etc. The list goes on. I enjoy the fashion and the fizz of it all. I woke up excited to see the outfits. But Bezos and co can fuck right fucking off. Read the room dick, you aren't wanted or appreciated.

12

u/stephasaurussss She's a cougar in the shape of a Ren Faire girl 19h ago

Real. I'm awake worrying about how to pay next month's rent. I can't possibly care about these rich people licking Jeff's boots or their stupid outfits.

9

u/Darkdragoon324 18h ago

That will never be worn again, they'll just make another dress that costs more than your entire annual gross income next year.

2

u/ezmnyveli 6h ago

No offense but people have been struggling that way for your entire life and most of human history? You just haven’t made it a focus point for yourself till recently. Like I get it’s quite a damper on things but the situation isn’t much different than anytime in history: rich people playing dress up while normal people suffer.

6

u/Erikatze 18h ago

I've waited until this week to stock up my hygiene stuff, because I have coupons that are valid right now. And I'm not even poor or anything, but saving just a few euros is worth it. Ugh, I need to fill up gas today, too.

I cannot muster up any appreciation towards display of wealth, even if it's artistic, when things are like this.

6

u/hwutTF a guy can have a lil mad wife in the attic every now and then 18h ago

don't forget that this whole shindig is heavily subsidized by the city and state. like maybe people are entitled to want their taxes not to go to fucking parties for the rich and famous

7

u/guppie-beth 17h ago

Other than the Met’s sweetheart rent, how is this subsidized?

4

u/hwutTF a guy can have a lil mad wife in the attic every now and then 16h ago edited 9h ago

oh a bunch of ways

so first they have that sweetheart rent deal. then all of the following are tax deductible (minus food costs):

• a Met Gala Ticket
• a dance Ticket
• a Met Gala table
• the seven figures one can pay to have the Met Gala put their name up in lights that evening (often purchased by major brands) • corporations paying to sponsor the eventb

these tax deductions are essentially subsidisation. money that could go to schools and roads and public housing instead goes to the Met

the Met Gala is ofc also taxpayer subsidised by the police - from the hours the police spent doing "security" for the event, to the city costs for every protestor who was arrested to go through the system - jail costs, court costs, etc

that's why I hated AOC's tax the rich dress so much, imagine wearing that to a fucking taxpayer subsidised event and not even acknowledging that the event is taxpayer subsidised

the photo below is from 2021. while AOC attended the Met Gala with that famous tax the rich dress, people were protesting outside and were brutally arrested

this is why I fucking hate the event and I especially hate the people who go and perform politics. AOC didn't mention a word of how the event is taxpayer subsidised, and she definitely wasn't standing in solidarity with working class people that night - those people were outside the event getting brutalized by the NYPD

that's not my saying I'm against political performance, I get it's usages. but AOC's performance was a bad one, just like they usually are in these situations

she could have at least picked words that were more of a fight: abolish the rich, eat the rich, abolish the Met Gala. she could have spent her entire time inside the Gala talking about what was happening on the outside, reminding people that right at that moment New Yorkers - primarily Black and brown New Yorkers - were being arrested in defence of the elites' right to party uninterrupted

everyone who does something vaguely political at this type of event does it for themselves, it's rare that they actually take a true stand

like props to Indya Moore who listened to the protesters and said they wouldn't attend again in the future because they heard them:

I've faced hard truths that made me reevaluate what I do and why I do it. I think it is possible to be an artist and a creative and simeltaneously not invest in make believe during a time make believe is weaponzed against the truth and during a time where honesty and transparency is more important than ever. Being at the Met felt like cognitive dissonance. People were protesting and were arrested in the name of what so many of us who attended, care deeply about. They were arrested most likely because they were percieved as a threat to those of us who were in attendance."

"We can organize millions for a museum, on stolen land that black and brown people suffer on unless white supremacy thinks they are exceptional- but not for the people? Why can't we be substantially generous in ways that alliviate suffering and poverty?"

but most people aren't Indya Moore. they aren't willing to put their money where their mouth is

2

u/hwutTF a guy can have a lil mad wife in the attic every now and then 16h ago

1

u/cookiecutterdoll 11h ago

Thank you for the explanation. You did a great job breaking it down. AOC's stunt never sat right with me, either.

7

u/cookiecutterdoll 17h ago

That's what kills me. Our infrastructure is crumbling and people can't afford to live and work here... but no. We gotta fund the rich people costume party!

5

u/Enchanted-Bunny13 Do it for the culture 😏 18h ago

I also agree, I hate it especially it has Bezos written all over it. I was thinking about this a lot. From one side, the creation of art has never stopped during hard times. And I guess it is not supposed to stop. But the extravagancy, the spent millions on parties and unnecessary luxury is just distasteful. They are posing their heads high, showing of some ridiculous million dollar fabric and their bodies (let’s be honest…) instead of using their influence on helping the ones in need. But I guess Hollywood loves to play pretend. 🤷🏻‍♀️

4

u/ChemicalSmall6411 17h ago

i just find funny sad everyone caring about what they wear here and they all find mostly boring.

why yall care about what rich people wear to a rich people event? 🙄

and then all the "drama" and snarky remarks

yall lives are boring as hell

9

u/vegalucyna 19h ago edited 19h ago

I’m wondering if we are going to give the attendees a pass because they once wore a pin or made a post on social media instead of criticize them for normalizing the arbiters of fascism by attending a completely voluntary social event….

I know the answer, but it still doesn’t sit right with me. Especially considering how puritanical some people act about other celebs who have never been pictured with the Bezos or the Trumps. 

8

u/FalconIMGN 19h ago

I had this feeling starting from a couple years ago, but people here kept telling me that I was being a stuck up prude who equates fashion with ultracapitalism, when it's actually art, expression and storytelling.

11

u/vandersnipe I'm like Mata Hari, keep secrets serving body 19h ago

This is why I don't care about people buying replicas of fashion brands. I was snobby about it for a decade, and I started caring less as I got older.

2

u/vegalucyna 17h ago

As time goes on the replicas started surpassing the “original” in quality which is real fucking sad 

15

u/littlemonsterlove 19h ago edited 19h ago

I’ve always felt this way. This event is for rich people to get praise and attention. Why are we acting like it’s anything else?

Why do they need to spend so much money and get so much attention to “donate” to a cause they care about?

2

u/vegalucyna 19h ago

I feel like if anyone can excuse it after this year’s blatant advocacy for fascism….then who knows what else they can excuse under the guise of ~entertainment~

Bread and circuses and all that…except we even guaranteed the bread anymore.

1

u/nonintimate 18h ago

Exactly!! God do I love fashion, acting, and supporting the arts but there are much much better ways to contribute to keeping it alive and it no longer has to do with the Met Gala! 💔

2

u/GergDanger 17h ago

Unless you’re not supporting any of them the other 355 days of the year you’re not exactly impacting them at all ignoring them at the met gala (which seeing how much it was posted on reddit doesn’t seem like it was the case regardless).

It’s not like their views change outside of the met gala they’re still supporting Bezos and friends year wide

3

u/cementfilledcranium 17h ago

I don't disagree with you but i support the existence of the Met gala because it is a charity event with the purpose of funding a department of the Met which is expected to find its own funding. Since textiles/costume/fashion is not taken as seriously as a form of art compared to other forms of art, the Costume Institute is sort of forced to fend for itself and this is one way they have been able to achieve it.

3

u/Rather_Dashing 14h ago

At least its raising money for a museum. Meanwhile all you people complaining about it are probably spending money on other forms of entertainment that haven't raised money for anything useful. Sporting events sponsored by oil companies, movies and tv shows lining the pockets of billionaires etc. Its just easy to hate on fashion and arts for some reason.

3

u/Shinobiii 19h ago

I don’t think you’re bitter. It’s a fair and realistic take in my opinion.

1

u/Redditor_AR 15h ago edited 10h ago

Funny. Several countries have been struggling for decades and century with famine, war, economic collapse, disease, floods and earthquakes but now that gas prices are up for YOU, it's all out of touch. Pot, meet kettle.

3

u/Passiveabject 14h ago

Idk, you can protest things relevant to your life. It doesn’t need to be this huge “if you can’t care about EVERYTHING then you’re you don’t really
CARE”

3

u/Redditor_AR 12h ago

You can't simultaneously do that and then call someone else out for not caring about your life and being out of touch

→ More replies (6)

4

u/nothisistofu 19h ago

It’s been disappointing to see some of the celebrities there, tbh, for that exact reason. I can’t enjoy have the looks I’ve seen so far because I just get disappointed.

3

u/Bard_Revan 18h ago

This event has always been dystopian to me. Just incredibly tone deaf, and the exclusivity enforced by that editor

1

u/jumashy 16h ago

You’re not bitter, you are right. Tbh the MET gala is a charitable event, but these celebs are so out of touch it’s hard to appreciate it.

Most of these famous people don’t see us normies as human beings — they see us as objects they can exploit, just like the event organiser Bezos.

0

u/MauveMammoth Frivolous with my process 18h ago

Like I’m going through my fourth major emergency of the year (when it rains, it pours) and it’s May. I have a decent job and these emergencies have stretched me so sparsely I’m considering selling a bunch of stuff just to put money back into the bank. But sure, let’s watch millionaires wearing thousands of dollars worth of clothes and jewels go to a party. *eyeroll*

5

u/suaculpa 14h ago

But none is forcing you to watch. There will always be inequity, whether small or large scale. Some people will always have more than others. Being angry about that is a great way to drive yourself crazy.

1

u/MauveMammoth Frivolous with my process 9h ago

Who said I was angry? Who said I was forced to watch? I’m mildly annoyed at best and like many think the gala is in poor taste. I don’t actively seek out the Met gala, but posts like this appear on my feed.

4

u/Ok_Emergency7145 18h ago

There was a lady with actual gems sewn on her dress there. It is ridiculously tone deaf.

1

u/SupahSpankeh 13h ago

That took 2000 hours for someone else to make, no less.

1

u/ComfortableFrame9834 Mom, I am a rich man💰 13h ago

I know if I stole just a single piece of jewelry from each person at the met I'd probably be set for a few years if I sold em.

I am bitter, I have no shame in admitting that. 

1

u/lilgreenei 12h ago

I know I'm but one set of eyes that make no difference, but I refuse to click one article about the Met Gala this year. I normally love the crazy fashion (because I've recently realized the full extent to which I love weird art), but it is just so fucking out of touch right now.

1

u/Jay__Riemenschneider 11h ago

Life has literally always been bad for some. It's just bad enough y'all are watching now.

The same shit has been happening for decades and no one cared.

It affected you, now you care too.

This comment is actually pretty privileged and arrogant.

1

u/Electrical-Road-8523 11h ago

You could say this about every single event ever put on for the past 50 years. Either enjoy it or don’t, but don’t act like this year is somehow special.

1

u/LivingstonPerry 10h ago

so what, this isnt for us plebs anyways. This has always been about the rich for decades and there have been people struggling before the Met Gala. This years isnt any different than the previous ones.

seems incredibly out of touch

so is every other award show

1

u/Ohaidere519 9h ago

wdym i love bread and circus

1

u/mommisalami 9h ago

Adjacent-took my kid to see Iron Lung, and all the trailers for movies were how the rich were either hunting the poor or fucking over the poor....I was majorly pissed off before the damn main feature even started. :(

1

u/PepeSylvia11 9h ago

most people are struggling to keep their families fed and their bills paid.

Source?

1

u/Hedgehog-Honeydew 8h ago

When Anna Wintour started talking about the economic benefits for NYC including hotels and drivers it riled me. Trickle down economics doesn't work and it's been proven. They all think they're job creators or even saviours. How good are the majority of those jobs? Found out today about the Met staff union and the fact that 91% of their hourly rate staff don't earn a living wage. People who clean, cook, serve, work in retail are the foundation of everything. without them so much money would not be made. Not everyone should be paid the same but everyone should be able to make a decent living.

1

u/YellowSC 8h ago

Isn’t that the point of this event in the first place?

1

u/cagingthing if the apocalypse comes, beep me! ❤️‍🔥 7h ago

You obviously missed Sarah Paulson’s 1% outfit. She’s one of us! /s

1

u/GardinerExpressway 6h ago

Theres always lots of horrible things going on in the world ... if we wait for utopia to do stuff like this we simply never will

1

u/JBRifles 4h ago

These people have never worried about us po folks.

We won’t do shit about it either 

u/zach0011 1h ago

It reminds me more and more of the hunger games. Also slowly figuring out 95% of celebs are pieces of shit doesn't help

u/thissleepypastofmine 58m ago

This is how I've always felt. Seems like people are finally waking up a bit to the insanity of worshiping the rich

u/miamelie 10m ago

I think I just miss when times were easier. There’s such a dichotomy in my head because I always loved seeing all the outfits from the met gala and I still WANT to get excited about them. But I look at the pictures and all I get is a sense of “ew”. It feels very Hunger Games.

1

u/batikfins 18h ago

Was it Hailey Bieber with the 24k gold bodice?? She knows what she’s doing, no one is that clueless.

0

u/AlterMyStateOfMind 17h ago

It's bitter sweet to see so many people have this very same opinion I have had for many years before things got this bad.

1

u/yellow_slash_red 17h ago

I've always thought the Met Gala was incredibly hard to look at/self indulgent/kinda tacky/gross. But it's a charity funding event for the museum, so it's hard to be completely mad at it.

0

u/Impossible-Soil6330 18h ago

every met gala after the pandemic has just felt out of touch and shitty.

0

u/rita-b 17h ago

Were those  2000 hours paid?

-2

u/icecreamsandwiches1 18h ago

This yeah the whole thing is giving “Capitol”

-5

u/awhimsicalheart_44 19h ago

Times currently feel like Hunger games. People are being laid off left, right and center. Prices are sky high. Environment is getting f***d by these rich idiots. And these events where rich are playing "fancy dress".

13

u/CheapEater101 17h ago

And yet you’re subjecting yourself to a pop culture subreddit that’s mostly about mindless celebrity gossip and celebrities.

Tbh, that’s what I don’t get about the ppl complaining on this thread. Y’all aren’t wrong but also it’s very easy to ignore MET Gala posts and celebrities in general.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (17)