Why The Met Gala Needs To Go Away

If ‘Let Them Eat Cake!’ Was An Event

Image credit: Paolo Castellanos via Shutterstock.com

The annual Met Gala seems to get more vapid with each passing year.

It’s the distillation of everything wrong with society’s obsession with celebrity culture and the lifestyles of the famous and wealthy.

If the messaging behind the infamous statement “Let them eat cake!” was an event, the Met Gala is guilty as charged. It’s a perfect representation of the gilded bubble surrounding the rich.

Some facts regarding the gala:

• It was founded in 1946 by Eleanor Lambert, an influential fashion publicist. The first actual event was held in New York in 1948
• The gala is a charity benefiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute
• The gala is organized by Vogue magazine. Since 1995, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour has been the chairperson or co-chair for most of that time
• The gala is invitation-only, with prominent individuals from various professions and industries such as film, television, fashion, business, politics, and sports, asked to be in attendance
• Invitations to the gala are highly sought-after. It’s considered a sign that you’ve “made it” in your particular profession if you are asked to attend