Instagram x Met Gala Class of ‘21 Photo. PHOTO: RAVEN B VARON
Written by: Wyatt Whitaker
What is The Met Gala?
The Met Gala is an annual star-studded event that occurs historically during the first Monday in May. The gala is a fundraiser benefiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. To say that this is a very see and be seen kind of event would be putting it mildly to say the least. A ticket back in the days of the gala’s inception cost around $1000. Today, tickets boast a whopping $30,000 price tag. Even if you pay the money, that doesn’t necessarily mean you will be in attendance as Anna Wintour, Gala Chair and Editor in Chief of Vogue Magazine, has the final say on who will be in attendance.
A Year on The Sidelines
Last year's Met Gala was sidelined due to the global Coronavirus pandemic as well as New York City’s Covid-19 regulations during May of 2020. This year however, the gala committee decided to host two separate events. The first one took place on the evening of September 13, 2021 and the second will be taking place during its normal slot on the evening of May 2, 2022.
For the sake of this blog post, I will be discussing the first Met Gala hosted just last month. An important thing to know about the Met Gala is that it’s theme changes every year and no two themes are the same or are even remotely close. This year's theme was, “America: A Lexicon of Fashion” and in short, emphasizes American independence according to Vanity Fair. There was a star studded list of attendees. Both newbies and veterans hit the red carpet sporting some both classic and questionable looks. Stars like Karlie Kloss, Timothee Chalamet, and Kendall Jenner were voted among some of the best looks of the night. While stars like A$AP Rocky, Kim Kardashian, and Pete Davidson sported some jaw droppingly questionable looks.
Covid-19
This year's event was different in comparison to Gala’s of years past, with a number of celebrities who are notoriously in attendance, not present. According to event organizers, “All attendees at The Met Gala on September 13 must provide proof of full vaccination and will also be expected to wear masks indoors except when eating and drinking” (People, 2021). With these policies in place, some stars opted out of the event. Nicki Minaj, for example, used her platform to question these practices tweeting, “They want you to get vaccinated for The Met. if I get vaccinated it won’t be for The Met…” This turned into political chaos as people began to disapprove of Minaj’s skepticism towards the Covid-19 vaccine, as well as masses accusing the star of spreading misinformation.
While these events are a star studded affair, these guidelines were implemented for the safety of all attendee’s. In a year like last year, there was no social season. Taking a risk by cutting the size of the gala in half and having it twice in one year was a good decision on behalf of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Vogue Magazine. I can’t wait to see what takes place in May!