A lot of folks in the comments are defending these choices because âwhatâs the point of what they wear?â âLet them be comfortable!â âTheyâre already advocates for LGBT/POC/etc!â
Hereâs the thing: the Met Gala is an event thatâs specifically about the celebration of fashion and artistry. Itâs literally a fundraiser for the Metâs Costume Institute.
As such, when guests are invited theyâre expected to join in the celebration by dressing according to the yearâs theme - the same theme as the Institute exhibit - with their own unique, creative take on it.
When men (or women, for that matter) show up to this event wearing a very plain, conventional garment, itâs disrespectful to not only the spirit of the event, but more importantly the art being presented and the artists who have spent significant time and effort creating it. If you were an academic invited to speak at a prestigious conference and you showed up unprepared it would be disrespectful to the other speakers and attendees, as well as the people who invited you. The idea is the same here except that the point is to be creative and dress well. Itâs not about being comfortable or not, itâs that they (or more likely their stylists) are lazy.
No one is demanding that they don a beaded catsuit with wings, or put on high heels, or spend three hours in hair and makeup - although itâs great when they do! All thatâs being asked is to be a little bit creative and join in the celebration of the art.
And there are so many ways to do that - without having to sacrifice physical/mental/emotional comfort! Thatâs the entire point of fashion; creativity can be expressed in any number of ways while still retaining function.
Look at that - tuxedo-style garments that havenât done away with traditionally âmasculineâ elements or comfort, but which have at least attempted to meet the theme of the art being celebrated!
And as for personal advocacies (a weird, reaching point to bring up in the first place, imo) - for a theme such as this yearâs, which is so closely related to the histories and cultures of PoC and LGBT artists, why would an advocate not be excited to join in and explore outside of the box a bit to lift that culture up and celebrate it??
In conclusion: Thereâs no reason that a tuxedo canât be elevated to something more creative that fits a theme, without even having to be uncomfortable or wild - y'all are just lazy and boring.
In the words of Tan France: âMake an effort.â
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