Was the 2022 Met Gala theme misguided? The Gilded Era, SCOTUS and increasing economic disparity
This morning I woke up to two pieces of news on Twitter. Politico has published a leaked draft of an opinion abolishing Roe V. Wade, and everyone is arguing over whether celebrities attending this year’s Met Gala followed the “Gilded Age” theme. Some on Twitter have pointed out the irony of these two trending conversation topics as well as on the Gilded Age as a theme more generally alongside a time of rising gas and food prices and increasing economic disparity.
Maria Shriver tweets "I'm so, what's the word right now? I can't say it. Everyone is focused on whose wearing what at the Met Gala and women's rights are taking the biggest hit in plain sight. I wish everyone would focus on one thing. We need everyone to focus on the news coming out regarding #SCOTUS
Kristen Baba Yaga tweets “Are they really doing a gilded age theme at the met gala in a time when we’re STILL seeing the largest transfer of wealth upward??? Like… it’s just f*cking unbelievable.
So, is this a fair criticism? Let me take you through a few reasons I think the situation is a bit more complicated than these tweets suggest:
The Met gala theme is open to interpretation
First, it’s important to note that whilst attendees receive a brief about the Gala’s dress code, it has always been greatly open to interpretation. The theme of “Gilded Age” does not ask every guest to come in period-accurate costume. Rather, some guests choose to mimic historic silhouettes with a modern twist, some choose to take the concept of the Gilded Age’s opulence and update it for modern clothing, and still others choose to subvert the theme’s expectations.
Riz Ahmed, the British Pakistani actor most recently known for his role in The Sound of Metal, wore a look by 4S Designs mimicking a factory labourers uniform in place of a typical white tie suit. Ahmed said, “This is an homage to the immigrant workers who kept the Gilded Age going." If you have ever learned about the 1890s in the US, you’ll know Ahmed is correct. During the Gilded Age, [millions of immigrants and internal migrants (including recently ‘freed’ African Americans) arrived in large cities and worked in sweatshops and civil builds like bridges, subways, and railways in horrendous conditions and very little pay.
Riz Ahmed in 4S Designs, sourced from vanityfair.com
Quannah Chasinghorse at the Met Gala, sourced from gettyimages via Twitter
Model Quannah Chasinghorse used the Gala to dress glamorously in an unapologetically Native-American style, potentially with the notion that the Gilded Era was one of the worst times for Native Americans. Indeed, by 1890, the western frontier was considered closed after violent conflicts forced Native American populations off their land.
The Met Gala theme exists alongside a more complex exhibition.
It’s also crucial to remember that the Gala’s theme does not exist in a bubble. Alongside the Gala, the Costume Institute opened up its new exhibit “An Anthropology of Fashion.” It would be a mistake to understand the theme simply for its opulence without taking a look of the themes of the exhibit itself. According to Vogue’s coverage of the new exhibit, viewers are first shown three objects- a coat worn by George Washington, the sports jacket in which Abraham Lincoln was assasinated, and the coat worn as the uniform of an enslaved Black man. Immediately upon entrance to the exhibit, viewers will be presented with this parallel: that multiple histories exist alongside the fashions of the day.
The exhibit includes 13 rooms designed by nine directors; Ford, Radha Blank, Janicza Bravo, Sofia Coppola, Autumn de Wilde, Julie Dash, Regina King, Martin Scorsese, and Chloé Zhao. According to Vogue, "What the exhibition does throughout 13 period rooms is exalt the unsung heroes and the less-than-always-glamorous backbone of American style." It seems to me, rather than being a straightforward display of the fashion of the white and wealthy, the exhibit is trying to showcase a variety of perspectives and demonstrate a fuller picture of American fashion history. If this is true, then the curators of this exhibit might actually think Ahmed and Chasinghorse’s Gala choices speak to the very heart of the exhibit.
Granted, I have not seen the exhibit in its entirety and so I can’t speak to whether it was effective in its historical analysis or inclusion of marginalised groups in American history. The inclusion of directors like Janicza Bravo and Chloé Zhao are promising. But the key point is this- the Met Gala was always going to emphasise the prettiest, most opulent aspects of that year’s exhibition. No matter the theme, the Met Gala is by nature an opulent affair. Attendance at the Met Gala is invite only, and then you have to pay $30,000 for a ticket. A different, less on-the-nose theme, would not change this. If the theme was the Great Depression, celebrities would still find a way to spend millions of dollars on their interpretation of the Dust Bowl. I have hopes that the exhibit itself may convey a more complex history.
Looking Towards the Gilded Age: Focusing on What Matters
It’s not wealthy actors and entertainers that we have to be worried about, but the industry tycoons and corrupt politicians. $30,000 is a lot for a ticket to an event, and there’s definitely room to critique the opulence of celebrities and entertainers. However, entertainers are always going to make money and be looked up to for their style. In fact, as disparity increases, entertainment is often looked to more as a release from the challenges of daily life. This is the problem I have with tweets like Shriver’s which discredit people from enjoying things for entertainment value. People need to be allowed to enjoy things despite the difficult circumstances of life and politics. There’s plenty of time to gawk at Blake Lively’s New York architecture themed Versace dress and keep updated on pending Supreme Court decisions. There’s also a big difference between a working performer like Lizzo who is paid a lot because of her celebrity and talent, compared with the billionaire status of those like Jeff Bezos whose wealth relies upon taking advantage of the working class and whose company fought hard to prevent the unionisation of its workers.
My Conclusion? Actually, a conversation about the Gilded Age is needed in our current political climate.
Those viral tweets had one major takeaway for me: today’s social and political climate have much in common with the Gilded Age. This was a time in which wealthy industry tycoons built their monopolies and fortune by taking advantage of the working class, immigrants, and African Americans. It was also one of the first times in which the working class was specifically pitted against other marginalised groups. When groups first started to unionise, internal conflict pervaded about whether to focus on wage increases, or preventing immigrants, women, and Black Americans from ’stealing’ jobs from the white working class. During the Gilded Age, wealthy white women took to centre stage blaming a lot of economic and familial issues on personal moral failure and alcoholism instead of dealing with the structural inequalities that pervaded society. If anything, let’s hope the Met Gala theme has started a conversation about what happens when a combination of greedy industrialists, economic disparity, and corrupt politicians dominate society.
… and maybe let people enjoy a dress.
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