OPINION: Glam or Gimmick?

Two differing opinions on the value of the Met Gala

Evie Chancy and Baila Love

May 20, 2025

Design by Allison McCall

Allison McCall

Style’s Spotlight by Evie Chancy

Every May, my feed along with many others’ is flooded with photos from celebrities’ Met Gala red carpet looks. The Met Gala has been a time-honored tradition since its founding in 1948 in order to fundraise for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Many people have criticized the famously high $75,000 ticket prices, but the price tag is high to fund the museum Because of the event’s exclusivity, it has become fashion’s biggest stage to create statements or call societal issues to attention.

For many years, the Met Gala has been theming the event based on their yearly fashion exhibits and a chance to bring attention to old archival pieces once again. By basing the event off their exhibits, the Metropolitan Museum is able to spotlight important topics, like they have this year with the theme “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” which is based upon Black dandyism.

Since the Met Gala is so high profile it gives celebrities, designers and the fashion world the opportunity to acknowledge important messages and bring them to the feeds of millions of people. While many people disregard the Met Gala as vain, those same people wouldn’t know anything about the theme without the event Fashion is inherently political and the Met Gala serves as an entryway for many people. Ultimately, the fact that the Met Gala’s red carpet is able to spark so much interest indicates a sign of its continued relevance.

Faulty Fashion by Baila Love

In times like these, the Met Gala is a little too “The Hunger Games”-esque to be appropriate. Rich people dress up in extravagant outfits with little to no acknowledgement of real world problems. The 2022 Met Gala is a great example of this because of how distasteful the theme, “The Gilded Age,” was; it was an era characterized by the corruption of the rich and their gross displays of wealth. The theme reads as tone-deaf considering many people’s everyday struggle to afford basic necessities. Glorifying wealthy people in such a theatrical way at a time like that is unsympathetic.

Another issue is celebrities dressing in outlandish outfits just to get attention on social media. In 2021, Kim Petras dressed as a horse to “represent horse girls.” Then in 2023, Doja Cat and Jared Leto dressed as cats instead of honoring anything worthwhile. Additionally, when the men aren’t wearing fursuits, they’re all wearing the same clean-cut, black suit with a tie. This eliminates the aspect of creativity and unique fashion, which is the entire point of the event. With the way the Met Gala is presented, it only comes off as a performative way for the wealthy to get attention on social media and stay in the spotlight.

About the Contributors

Evie Chancy, News Managing Editor

Evie Chancy is a junior and the managing news editor for the Free Press. When she’s not in journalism, she’s reading for the Finer Things Club or working on hair and makeup for Free State’s theater program. Outside of school, she loves to thrift or scroll on Pinterest.

Baila Love, Online Managing Editor

Baila Love is a junior and the managing editor for the Free Press Online. Outside of journalism, she is involved in theater, improv, forensics, and Finer Things Club. Outside of school, she enjoys listening to music, playing guitar, and reading.

Allison McCall, News Designer, Business Team

Allison is a sophomore and a first year news designer for journalism. She is involved in cross country, track, choir and Project Pickup. Outside of school she enjoys spending time with her and friends and family, as well as frequent trips to J&S!

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