The Met Gala is exactly four weeks from today. People have been speculating about the guest list for a while now, and unless a celebrity openly comes out and says “I’m going” or “I’m not going”, it’s never officially confirmed by Anna Wintour and the Costume Institute until much closer to the date.
This year, at the moment, all we know for sure are the celebrity co-chairs, Amanda Gorman, Naomi Osaka, Billie Eilish, and Timothée Chalamet. In my books, that’s already an impressive list. But, you know, there are people bitching about the Met Gala already.
According to Page Six:
“It’s normally the most glamorous night in the New York City calendar. But some insiders are griping that the Met Gala — scheduled for Sept. 13 — is starting to lose its luster.
“I’ve been told that a lot of influencers are on the guest list,” one celebrity agent, whose clients have been regulars at the affair in the past, told The Post. “I’ve heard that Facebook and Instagram have taken so many tables, and that’s put a lot of people off going, alongside the mask mandate.”
A publicist with A-list clients added: “Personally, I don’t think the Met is cool anymore … It’s gone from super prestigious to [being] full of influencers.”
Another reason cited by Page Six’s sources is the pandemic:
“I think the big actors and the big fashionistas will come next year, when it returns in May,” said the agent. “I also don’t think a lot of people feel like dressing up in ridiculously expensive outfits and putting on a mask for this.”
That, to me, is a more reasonable explanation. COVID cases are surging and if safety is a reason for people to dump on this event, it certainly holds up better than “the event isn’t cool anymore because there are too many TikTokers” invited, LOL.
But, then again, as we’ve seen, there are a lot of big name celebrities who have only been too eager to dress up in ridiculously expensive outfits. So does that really track?
What’s this all about?
Who are these agents and publicists with “A-list clients” getting all snobby about influencers and the new guard of celebrity? And does this mean that the Met Gala is really losing its shine?
The fact of the matter is, and I’m not exactly up on influencers and Instagram and TikTok stars the way the youths are, this new celebrity cohort has reach – and reach where people are putting value: social media. Anna Wintour wants the Met Gala to go viral. She wants those impressions. She wants to trend the sh-t out of this party. And she wants this party to remain relevant.
Also, when all of your co-chairs are under 30 years old, of course some of the guests should be representative of the generation of your hosts. The people crabbing about this sound like gatekeepers, like the defenders of the British royal family, trying to impose who should be allowed a seat at the table and who shouldn’t. It’s not a good look.
And besides, some of the other big names who are allegedly planning to attend include Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Jennifer Lopez. None of this has been confirmed but if we’re to believe Page Six that there are TikTok stars invited then we might as well believe Page Six when they reported previously that B, RiRi, and JLo are going and, I don’t know about you, but if you can get those three at the same party, how is this not a cool party!? Rihanna alone, based on her previous Met Gala appearances, would make it worth it. What the f-ck are they even talking about?
If these are actually publicists with “A-list clients”, and publicists are supposed to be communications specialists, aren’t they supposed to know what they’re talking about?!
Here’s Rihanna at Whole Foods in New York. I know this is just my Chinese superstition but I really wish she wouldn’t wear a green hat. RiRi and Rocky are OK, right?
