Regarded as the most prestigious fashion event, the Met Gala is hosted annually and will be taking place this year on May 5. The event is a charity fundraiser for The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute and marks the opening of the department’s yearly fashion exhibit.
The event regularly raises eight-figure sums, with tickets priced at $75,000 each or $350,000 per table. This means that the attendees are consistently made up of high-profile celebrities, socialites and the elite one per cent.
Many who observe the Met Gala from the outside compare the event to a dystopian spectacle — similar to seeing members of the Capitol in the Hunger Games series parade in lavish outfits. Meanwhile, the rest of us watch from the districts.
At last year’s Met Gala, model and influencer Haley Kalil faced backlash for posting a tone-deaf TikTok video in which she quoted Marie Antoinette’s infamous phrase, “Let them eat cake,” outside the event where pro-Palestinian protesters had gathered. Incidents like this highlight why the Met Gala leaves a bitter taste for many. The event, at its core, exhibits the extreme wealth inequality in society.
I firmly believe that celebrity worship and the idolization of figures who have the power to create real change but choose not to is a deeply ingrained issue in our society. However, dismissing the Met Gala entirely as a pretentious and meaningless event may be an overreach.
Especially when you consider how the gala and its accompanying exhibit draw attention to topics that might not otherwise receive mainstream attention. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute’s spring 2025 exhibit is entitled Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. The exhibition draws inspiration from Monica L. Miller’s book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.
Black dandyism embodies high-fashion menswear that has historically served as a form of resistance against racial, social and gender norms. In a press release, the Met clarified that the exhibit would explore the cultural and historical evolution of the Black dandy, examining its origins in the 18th century to its modern expressions in 21st-century cosmopolitan cities.
The relevance of the 2025 co-chairs was recognized following their announcement.
Along with editor-in-chief of Vogue Anna Wintour, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams and Colman Domingo will co-chair the event. Lebron James has been named an honorary chair and other influential figures make up the host committee. This includes Ayo Edebiri, Angel Reese, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Sha’Carri Richardson and Spike Lee.
The Met Gala remains a paradox — both a symbol of excess extravagance and a platform for meaningful artistic and social discourse. However, its influence in elevating cultural and historical narratives, such as the 2025 exhibit on Black dandyism, should not be overlooked.
