Every year, on the first Monday of May, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City comes alive. As the sun begins to set, the illustrious guests arrive in sleek black limousines as a bevy of reporters and photographers furiously flash their cameras, desperately hoping for a good shot for the cover of whatever magazine they work for. One by one the famed celebrities strut across the red carpet, taking every opportunity to pose for the cameras in over-the-top and exaggerated fashion pieces designed by world class designers. This is the most prestigious fashion event in the world - the Met Gala.
The Met Gala is an annual fundraiser hosted by Vogue Magazine, and has been in existence since 1995. It aims to raise funds for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute and also marks the opening of the museum’s annual fashion exhibition. It is an extremely exclusive and highly esteemed event in the world of high fashion. The guest list is mainly decided by Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour. Every year, the elite fight hard for a ticket that costs a whopping $35,000 each, all for a chance to showcase their wealth and extravagant sense of fashion. Additionally, Vogue also selects a theme for the costumes that the guests will wear to the event.
This year, the theme was “Gilded Glamour and White Tie.” In simpler terms, it refers to the style of fashion and grandiose aesthetic that was prominent during the Gilded Age (Think corsets, lace, tuxedos etc). The Gilded Age would refer to the 30 years period, from 1870 to 1900, that was characterised by rapid industrialization. Unprecedented expansion of trains, factories, and buildings led to the staggering increase in fortunes for many wealthy families. However, as the rich revelled in their opulence, the majority of American citizens suffered greatly.
The disparity in wealth seen then is another defining part of that time period. Where the wealthiest two percent of American households reportedly owned more than a third of the country's wealth, the working class struggled to make ends meet with wages being at an all time low while unemployment rates skyrocketed. Although the Gilded Age occurred almost 120 years ago, the stark parallels between the current socio-economic situation in America and that of the 1900s cannot be ignored.
In 2022, fashion styles may have evolved greatly, but the stark income disparity in America seemingly hasn't improved. The global pandemic, coupled with the ongoing war in Ukraine, has caused inflation rates to rise to an all time high and countless citizens are still unemployed after the pandemic has all but forced almost all economic activity to come to a halt. As can be expected, choosing the Gilded Age as the theme for such a high-profile event sparked a major uproar amongst netizens.
Numerous netizens felt that the theme for this year’s Met Gala was “out of touch” and was a “slap in the face to average Americans”. As rich and powerful celebrities flaunt their immeasurable wealth during the Met Gala, average Americans grapple with inflation. Perhaps, the Met Gala this year serves as a representation of the obliviousness of the rich towards the current economic crisis the entire world is facing.
If the 2022 Met Gala has taught us anything, it is that income inequality is still a very real problem that the world faces today.
In the words of The Guardian, “So what does last night’s Gala tell us about the time we’re living? Ironically, by saying nothing as the world burns around them, the guests gave a very clear sense that we’re still living in a gilded age”. A whole 120 years (and a global pandemic) later, maybe it's time we sit up and take notice at this alarming problem that has haunted us for centuries and figure out what we can do to ameliorate this, or at the very least, not make matters worse by organising a lavish event for out-of-touch fashionistas with a theme that accentuates the obscene income disparity in the world today.
Written by: Ng Chen Fong (22S63)
Edited by: Khoo Kia Song Kendrick (22A14), Arissa Ho Shu-En (22S78)
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