Feminism at the Met Gala: A Fashion Statement
In normal times, on the first Monday in May each year, the Met Gala is momentarily the talk of the town, generating an outpouring of news articles and media coverage. Commonly referred to as “the biggest night out” for fashion, a wide variety of influential people attend the event each year making deliberate fashion statements. Critics as well as ordinary people weigh in on the often outrageous outfits and looks with brutal judgments.
Because the Met Gala was cancelled last year as a result of the pandemic, more media attention and news coverage than ever has been focused on this year’s Met Gala, which was rescheduled to September. As I quickly scrolled through the pictures from the 2021 Met Gala earlier this week, I couldn’t help but notice a common theme: political messages. From US Representative Carolyn Maloney’s Equal Rights Amendment dress to US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Tax the Rich dress, people took to their social media accounts as they wondered what sort of impact, if any, these fashion statements could have on politics.
After Monday night’s Met Gala, Rep. Carolyn Maloney made a statement on Twitter about her dress, tweeting that, “Across the country, women’s rights are under attack. I have long used fashion as a force 4 change.” She wore a green, purple, and gold dress (suffragist colors) with a bag that read “ERA YES” to the Met Gala. As someone who lives in North Carolina, one of the few states that has not yet ratified the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), I have come to realize that using fashion as grounds for change is not performative by any means as recognition of important issues can help to promote real change through education of the general public. For example, misconceptions about the ERA are far from uncommon in my state. I’ve heard myths of all sorts from North Carolinians around me, such as that the passage of the ERA would get rid of “all protections regarding women” and that “the 15th Amendment already gave women rights.” However, the 15th Amendment only applied to men and former slaves, and it wasn’t until fifty years later that women were granted the right to vote in 1920.
Additionally, protections regarding women such as shelters to protect disadvantaged women as well as prison facilities would not be affected in any way by the passage of the ERA. For those who may be unfamiliar with the the Equal Rights Amendment, this piece of legislation would add a line to the U.S. Constitution to end discrimination on the basis of sex, rendering women equal once and for all. Campaigns to ratify the ERA have been ongoing since the 1970s, yet certain states have failed to ratify the amendment. By wearing a dress that directly displays the words “ERA,” Rep. Maloney is making strategic use of Met Gala coverage to advocate for increased women’s rights in a society that has neglected these rights for decades on end.
The ERA was proposed almost a hundred years ago, yet the journey for the passage of the ERA has been slow, and the necessity of equal rights remains vital. This past summer, after interning for a second year with the League of Women Voters in my county, I came to realize how difficult it has been for women who rally and campaign to elicit such changes in the Women’s Rights Committee. Filibuster after filibuster has blocked any relevant change from occuring and has created a wall that prevents the passage of the ERA. Denying rights to women on the basis of sex alone should not be permitted in the 21st Century.
Rep. Maloney was not the only politician to attend the Met Gala with an important political message, as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also attended, wearing a white gown with the slogan “Tax the Rich” written in bold red letters on the back. Despite trying to advocate for the significance of having a conversation about taxation as well as equity, many criticized her dress as being “performative.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stated that no matter what fashion statement she had made at the Met Gala, she would have faced criticism by the public, so she is glad that she acted with purpose and integrity with her choice of her Met Gala dress. In my judgment, the claims that her dress is only being worn out of “performative activism” are senseless, as the Met Gala is one of the most prominent social events in the world and is bound to bring recognition to political fashion statements such as Cortez’s and therefore to also bring awareness to the issue of taxation that is linked to the dress. Recognition of any sort to political issues regarding women’s rights and taxation assists in educating the general public: the meaningful political messages convryed by such dresses are being seen by people all over the world.
Fostering change in politics is often a tedious and prolonged process, not to mention one that results in significant backlash because of political divisions within Congress. It is impossible for change to result immediately since passage of legislation takes years on end. The recognition of important issues through fashion statements at the Met Gala can play an important role in the process, bringing about significant recognition of social issues that we should all be educated on, such as the Equal Rights Amendment and taxation this year
Simran Saini is a junior in high school from Raleigh, North Carolina who is a Co Editor-in-Chiefs of the NGP Blog. She is passionate about both politics and writing as well as bringing out youth voices. In her free time, she enjoys biking and reading about current events on the news.