The Met Gala is an event known for celebrating fashion, art and expression, with a costume exhibit that changes each year where celebrities draw attention with one-of-a-kind looks. However, there was something that felt completely different about this year compared to past Met Galas. Even though it still had a theme, this year's' being ‘Fashion is Art,’ celebrities, and fashion, the event felt different. And that’s because it was.
This year’s Met was sponsored by billionaire Jeff Bezos, a polarising figure who is the founder and CEO of Amazon. Due to his involvement, the Met Gala was subjected to protests led by the ‘Everyone Hates Elon’ activist group, which called for attendees to ‘Boycott the Bezos Met Gala’ across New York.
Whether it was bottles of fake pee left inside the Met Museum, or projectors used to boycott the event on buildings, the ‘Everyone Hates Elon’ group was determined to stop the Met Gala. This group aimed to expose the extreme wealth disparity and unfair conditions present in America. While the elite are able to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to attend a gala, there is a different story for workers. The forgotten people who fund Bezos’ lavish lifestyle are inhumanely overworked and underpaid, to the point where they were forced to use water bottles to go to the bathroom. There have been a series of smaller protests to the event years prior, but this movement brought about the most attention, highlighting what is truly wrong about the divisive society we are currently in.
The unfair working conditions and treatment aren’t discussed by the people who should care, which is a sad reality for workers of multi-million dollar corporations. This led to the ‘Ball Without Billionaires’ event, an alternate fashion show to celebrate the efforts of the workers, and allow them to be seen. Workers from Amazon, Starbucks, Uber, and more wore looks by immigrant designers. The theme of this event was ‘Labour is Art,’ contrasting the ‘Fashion is Art’ theme of the Met, exposing its exclusionary environment and capitalist priorities. The ‘Ball Without Billionaires’ showcased a narrative that is rarely ever told—one for the workers, by the workers.
Bezos hoards his $255.5 billion wealth, supporting a lifestyle that continues to deny everyday people the bare necessities. People like Bezos, who are considered ‘important’ and ‘powerful’, are ultimately out of touch with reality. Currently, homelessness is at a record high with an estimated 755, 000 people who are homeless in America alone, and the cost-of-living crisis threatens the lives of those who aren’t supported by billions of dollars.
This does not just apply to US workers, as there has been an undeniable disproportionate increase in inflation across the globe, reaching levels that have not been seen in the past four decades worldwide. This affects basic necessities such as food, housing and salaries, as inhospitable conditions are becoming more and more common. By allowing capitalist aims to be in the forefront, everyday people who aren’t in the elite are finding it more difficult to fund the essentials. The protests and activism in the US is reflective of the status of numerous other countries, including Australia—a reality that most people aren’t recognising.
The famous elite who are invited to glamorous events and award shows are sometimes seen trying to protest and support the everyday people, wearing small ‘ICE out’ pins at award shows and events. However, this activism seemed to be missing from Bezos' Met, despite Amazon being the source of invasive, biometric databases that assist in the unfair detainment of immigrants by ICE. Are these celebrities giving up on speaking out, despite a key benefactor of ICE being present? Does it prove that this group is performative, not bothering to care about issues that don’t hurt them?
Although the Met Gala is a charity gala which fundraises for the Met Museum—despite there being causes that are significantly more worthy—the focus cannot help but be redirected towards Bezos. Especially when Bezos’ Amazon supports fast fashion’s industry as consumers opt for more cost savvy options, thus taking away from the artists and designers present at the Met who rely on consumer engagement. This shift towards Bezos highlights how the Met has lost what has made it special—individuality, culture and art, not money and power.
The Met Gala is for the rare, rich elite, but ultimately, the workers and activists stole the show.
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