In America: A Lexicon of Privilege; Met Gala 2021 Disappoints in More Ways Than One

Self-proclaimed “fashion’s biggest night out,” the Met Gala is a fundraiser for the Costume Institute and marks the opening of the annual fashion exhibit. This year, “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” was unveiled in the Anna Wintour Costume Center and will lead into “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” in 2022. Over 400 celebrities, from Naomi Osaka to Shawn Mendez, were invited to spend over $30,000 on a mediocre dinner (according to Keke Palmer) and a seven minute red carpet run. The event is an opportunity for celebrities and their designers to showcase their creativity and make a statement, or in the case of this year, avoid making one.

While “American Independence” was an admittedly odd theme for the Met, it did relate to the new exhibit, and offered celebrities a chance to send a message to the masses, especially after a year of immense advocacy and change. The idea of protest fashion is not a new one. Throughout history people have used clothing to send messages to the world around them. The black berets of the Black Panthers were and continue to be a symbol for the Black Lives Matter movement. The robes and bonnets of the Handmaid’s Tale have been worn to protest against anti-abortion legislation. And, during the civil rights movement, denim workwear was reclaimed by activists to retaliate against white society who looked down upon the outfits. Even a graphic tee can be used to make a declaration, as we can see with the Katherine Hamnett anti-nuclear-missile shirts worn by many in the ‘80s. Yet somehow, the majority of celebrities this year decided not only to ignore the theme, but to waste the opportunity to make a statement.

Those in the minority include House Representative, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, who wore a “Tax the Rich” dress that both sent a very loud message and also related to the theme (because yes, American Independence does not condemn you to only taking inspiration from the flag). She channeled the theme perfectly — demonstrating how one can use the independence that America believes to be a human right to make such a statement. Cara Delivigne channeled that same interpretation with her “Peg the Patriarchy” outfit, as did Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney through her “Equality for Women” dress. Nikkie de Jager paid tribute to Marsha P. Johnson, an American trans rights activist, Quanah Chasinghorse, a young Indigenous model, wore an outfit inspired by traditional Native American dress, and Dan Levy sent a loud message about LGBTQ+ rights with the silhouettes of two men kissing front and center on his outfit. One could even argue that people like Pete Davidson, Amandla Stenberg and Maluma followed the theme in a more abstract sense by challenging gender norms in clothing, a freedom given to them in America, though it is definitely a stretch.

On the flip side, Adrien Brody unintentionally mirrored Channing Tatum in a Dior Men suit while Timothee Chalamet showed up in a baggy white one, not quite the classic tux but uninspiring nonetheless. Model Emily Ratajkowski wore a red dress with flower patterns and Kaia Gerber channeled Bianca Jagger’s black dress from 1981 (I don’t think she could’ve chosen something less on theme). Others, such as Debby Harry, Lili Reinhart, Jennifer Lopez and Pharell Williams, may have been on theme with cowboy outfits, American flags and a dress covered in all the state flowers, but did they really say anything? The interpretation of the American Independence theme is so unoriginal that the outfits lose the creative depth that transforms fashion from materials sewn together to an art piece.

(Liam Waldman / The Jaguardian)

AOC’s gown offered the opportunity to make various statements at this year’s Met Gala.

Every single attendee was given the same theme to work with and the same opportunity to utilize clothes as more than just pieces of cloth to cover your body, to use them as a catalyst for change — something still desperately needed in our country. Yet, when finally given a platform to say all the things most celebrities have been preaching online for the past two years, from BLM to women’s rights to climate change, they let it pass them by. Instead they fell back into the safe cocoon of their privilege and hid behind the Met Gala as simply a fashion event and nothing more. Why? Because that is the easy choice to make. To stay silent is unchallenging, but to speak up requires being okay with being uncomfortable, a very rare trait in most humans, nevermind most celebrities. Therefore, when presented with two paths, the easy and the difficult, very few will choose the latter.

Fashion can be so much more than just clothing. It is identity, it is expression, it is creativity and opportunity, and an event like the Met Gala, which is dedicated to that artform, deserves more than a tuxedo and a dress worn before by someone else. And after the past two years, I’d hoped that many would be more inspired by the unexpected world around us than they were, especially when given free reign with such a relevant theme. Since 2019, the idea of what the United States stands for has been turned on its head, going from a superpower with an inability to recognize its deep issues to a place where many have rejected that ignorance, and used their rights to shine a spotlight on our flaws in hopes of changing them, instead of shoving them deeper into the darkness. American Independence has to mean more than just the striped red, white and blue seen spread out across the red carpet, otherwise what’s the point?