Every year, some of the world’s most famous people come to New York City for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Gala (The Met Gala), a fundraiser for the annual fashion exhibit at the museum.
Each year has a theme, which can range from Catholicism to “camp,” and fashion designers work closely with celebrities to create unique and over-the-top outfits. After the coronavirus pandemic prevented the Gala from being held in 2020, on Sept. 13, with the theme, “American Independence,” the biggest names in Hollywood and the fashion world went all out on their fashion designs.
This year’s gala was attended by a famous figure who caused a bit of controversy with her outfit: Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC).
Her simple and elegant white gown, which was designed by Aurora James, contained a simple phrase painted in big, red letters on the back: “Tax the rich.” AOC posted a picture of herself in the dress before the gala on Instagram and Twitter, with the caption: “The medium is in the message…Proud to work with [Aurora James] as a sustainably focused, Black woman immigrant designer…The time is now for child care, healthcare, and climate action for all. Tax the rich.”
Despite the explanation she provided about the story behind her dress, Ocasio-Cortez drew harsh criticism from the media and many internet users from all sides of the political spectrum.
For example, the Met Gala is not a cheap event. In 2019, tickets to the gala cost $35,000 per person, and tables cost between $200,000 and $300,000. Some guests can attend for free, such as New York City elected officials like AOC, but the main goal of the event is to make as much money as possible.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez might not have the same disposable income as the celebrities who pay for their tickets, but she still attended this event rubbing shoulders with the same rich people she believes should be taxed more.
Ocasio-Cortez anticipated the backlash she would receive before she arrived at the gala, and despite this, she still had to defend herself on social media. On her Instagram story, she responded to a question about what she wanted to say to critics about attending the Met Gala, saying, “I, and my body, have been so heavily and relentlessly policed from all corners politically since the moment I won my election that it’s kind of become expected and normalized to me.”
While I agree that the congresswoman should not be criticized for her style of dress, I do think that the message she wanted to spread with the dress was contradictory to her attendance at the event. AOC was invited to the gala for free as a politician supporting the arts, but this event is still essentially a celebration of wealth, with celebrities wearing jewels and designer gowns that could cost more than the average American’s yearly salary.
Ocasio-Cortez’s Democratic Socialist ideals should make her frown upon such excess and not attend an event hosted by and for the top 1%.
Although some people have accused her of performative activism, this is not an example of such. The dress would be performative activism if the Congresswoman only wore it for social capital and did not do anything outside of the event to advocate for taxing the rich and giving more services to the working class. Instead, the Congresswoman’s radical ideas give her less social capital among the people she was partying with at the gala, and she continues to work very hard to fight for the working class throughout her career.
Despite her diligent efforts, the dress suggests that Ocasio-Cortez is not immune to the tendency of politicians to be out of touch with what the general public wants and needs from their elected officials.