Sophie Hutchison
The opulence and excess of the Met Gala make it a rather unexpected location for a bold display in support of socialism.
The guest list for the event includes more capitalists than comrades. With A-list actors and supermodels schmoozing the night away with billionaire businesspeople, heirs and heiresses. They are the kinds of people who might not be so pleased, on their big night on the town, to be smacked across the face with a quite audacious call to “Tax the Rich.”
The very slogan was unmissable as it appeared splashed in red, blood-like capital letters across the rear of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s gown, designed by Aurora James of Brother Vellies. Ocasio-Cortez, a staunch socialist, is one of the most pre-eminent and popular (or most hated, depending on which side of the political spectrum you fall on) politicians in America.
On Instagram, she stated the “medium is the message.” In a subsequent post, she asked: “How do we inject urgent conversations of race, class, climate, and justice into an event that is both one of the largest spectacles of excess in the world, yet takes place in and benefits an institution that serves the public?”
Indeed, the Met Gala is somewhat paradoxical; despite its über-exclusivity, the Met Museum itself is a public institution whose purpose is to educate the public. Is Ocasio-Cortez’s dress a visual manifestation of her role as the girl from the Bronx who has infiltrated the playground of the elite in the name of the working class? Or does it simply prove that she’s a hypocrite as many of her critics have claimed?
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Pundits from both right and left have argued that Ocasio-Cortez shouldn’t have been in attendance at the Gala. Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro claims: “Nothing says ‘woman of the people like showing up to a gala where the average ticket costs $30,000.”
It’s easy to see the irony in her dress. Wearing a “Tax the Rich” emblazoned dress to drink free champagne at the wealthiest event in town. In addition, many have pointed out Ocasio-Cortez herself is by no means working class – with a salary of around $170,000, there’s certainly more than a hint of irony in her statement and how she chose to make it.
However, I disagree with these criticisms. Ocasio-Cortez is by no means the first publicly-elected official to attend the Met Gala. Even though she takes home a hefty paycheck, I don’t feel she is a hypocrite. AOC is not the level of rich that working-class people need to be concerned about. She is comparatively poor in relation to the billionaires who rely on slave labour in order to get richer every year.
That said, the dress, simply put, is not very good. One of the main criticisms has simply been that it’s cringeworthy. And it is. It features a strange button-down, pocketed front, with the off-shoulder neckline resembling blazer lapels. The dress was clearly meant to evoke Ocasio-Cortez’s everyday Congresswoman-chic styling. But it’s frankly unflattering and ill-fitting.
As it becomes a mermaid tail of tulle, it’s almost as if Ocasio-Cortez is wearing a trench coat over a ballgown. She is saying to her supporters: Look, guys, I’ve still got my workwear on, I’m still here to do my job. Trying to channel her usual politician garb is perhaps what makes the dress so cringe – we know she’s a congresswoman. This attempt to remind us of that comes off as somewhat defensive and trying-too-hard.
Finally; “Tax the Rich.” Who is this imperative directed at? Ocasio-Cortez is the one who’s in a position of political authority. This rallying cry comes off as an on-brand slogan devoid of any real meaning. It’s repeated in the same handwritten all-caps style on her red bag. Just in case anybody missed the message on the back of the dress, only furthering this feeling.
Perhaps it seems reductive to criticise Ocasio-Cortez’s outfit so heavily on the basis of how it looks. But alas, nobody wants to see an ugly dress at the Met Gala. I firmly believe much of the issue with this look is the fact that it isn’t particularly flattering or creative. The slogan is unimaginative and uninspiring, and the dress looks confused and frumpy.
I do commend Ocasio-Cortez for her boldness and rebuff the critics who condemn her hypocrisy. However, I also join them in wishing she had perhaps focused less on being provocative. Perhaps she should focus more on using the medium of fashion to convey her message in other visually appealing, nuanced ways.
Featured image courtesy of incognito7nyc ✈️❤NewYorkCityofDreams✯♛ on Flickr. Image license found here.