why did the 2021 met gala suck? 🏈🇺🇸🍎

[Music] thank you why did the 2021 Met Gala suck although the Rich and Famous have been attending the Met Gala for decades at this point there's no denying that the event has only recently become a worldwide phenomenon largely thanks to the rise of social media which has allowed anyone and everyone a chance to be a spectator and a Critic in real time including myself of course one of the biggest fashion events of the year in the days leading up to and following the Met Gala you can find an almost exhausting amount of coverage and content revolving around the event and I'm afraid that this video is no exception although it had no intention of covering the Met Gala this year I found myself unable to resist after the disappointing red carpet so considering this topic was such a last minute decision do be patient with me if there's anything that I happen to forget to talk about or mention today's video we're going to be taking a look at the Met Gala itself as well as the outfits worn by some of its attendees keep in mind that dozens of people went to this event so obviously I can't talk about everyone and unless I'm speaking about someone specifically think of this as more of a general critique about the gala and that some of my statements may not hold true for everyone who attended also I'm in no way judging what these people actually look like if they're beautiful ugly whatever this is purely about the clothes anyway let's get into it for those unfamiliar with the Met Gala it's an annual fundraising event for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Arts costume Institute established in 1948 with the first Gala only costing 50 ahead over the years the event has become a renowned spectacle and one of the highlights of the New York City social scene one of the most exclusive events in the world the Met Gala has been run by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour since 1995 and she not only has final say on the theme of the event but also its guest list and their wardrobe yes that's right even if you could pay the thirty thousand dollars to attend the event if Anna says no that's it you're not going since 1973 the Met Gala has had a theme that not only represents the costume institute's new exhibit but it's also a Rough Guide for what the guests are expected to wear this year's Met Gala theme was in America a lexicon of fashion intended to be an exploration of and appreciation for the evolution of style in the U.S over the last hundred years although the United States of America as we know it has technically existed since 1776. the exhibit itself focuses on designs from the 1940s to the present intentionally showcasing how American style evolved as the result of restrictions from World War II where we were no longer heavily influenced by popular Fashions from Europe although many members of the public have stated that the theme was too vague and as such the mediocre looks delivered on the red carpet were understandable I find myself unable to agree with this popular sentiment yes compared to past themes say 2018's heavenly bodies or 2015's China through the Looking Glass this theme is significantly Less Direct but that's sort of the best part in 2018 you could show up with flowers gold crosses and that's it you've already nailed theme which hardly calls for Innovation or imagination whereas with American fashion the ways you could interpret the theme are nearly infinite which makes it all the more fun so imagine my disappointment when everyone came in lackluster looks at how to almost no ties to American history or pop culture as a whole many celebrities chose to wear archive pieces from Runway collections of the 90s and 2000s in an attempt to pay homage but this doesn't work if the interpretation of the look is shallow and uninspired referencing the past isn't a bad thing but it's become such an overused tactic at this point but it leads me to wonder if this is Hollywood's latest marketing technique riding on Nostalgia and click bait to grow the Public's interest in someone just look at the VMAs from the night before fashion has always been referential but it usually has a point and the references that appeared at the Met Gala were boring and left many of the guests looking like they picked something out at the last minute which is utterly ridiculous considering how much time they had to plan one of the biggest reasons this Met Gala annoyed me personally is that I found myself giving many celebrities and their stylists the benefit of the doubt hoping that they were actually referencing something incredibly Niche only to realize later in interviews that there was a complete misinterpretation of what the theme was or Worse no thought behind their outfits at all I'm wearing Chanel and um that was my inspiration yes I felt like a clown and I'm very bitter about it one of the instances I can most clearly point out is in the case of model Kendall Jenner a frequent attendee of the Met Gala when she first arrived my initial reaction was oh is she referencing Cher or Diana Ross only to discover that no it wasn't Ode to Audrey Hepburn's character of Eliza Doolittle in the 1964 film my fair lady now this is an absurd choice for multiple reasons first the film itself is set in Edwardian London and despite being featured heavily in American Cinema RG Hepburn herself was not American secondly Kendall repeatedly said that she wanted it to be a reference to givanchi's collaborative relationship with Audrey and how it influenced American fashion But Not only was Givenchy a French designer but my fair lady was actually one of Audrey's films that he didn't costume the British Cecil Beaton gets the credit for that one so I don't know why they wouldn't just pick Breakfast at Tiffany's or Sabrina or funny face if that was what they were going for and thirdly the dress isn't that interesting not only have we seen Kendall wear similar things in the past but it also calls back to the 2015 Met Gala when numerous people showed up in bedazzled naked dresses leaving Kendall's 2021 outfit looking incredibly dated if they'd gone for something accurate to the time period something similar to Anya Taylor Joy's dress at the premiere of Emma the point would have come across much better other instances of these weak pop culture references included Megan Fox who I thought was going for a Betty Page look but was actually referencing Bram Stoker's Dracula a film not only set in England but focused on a Transylvanian character and Billy eilish whose look was initially interpreted to be an Ode to Marilyn Monroe but was in fact supposed to be Holiday Barbie then of course there were some references that just fell flat like this Lady Liberty inspired look worn by model Taylor Hill I was incredibly disappointed in this one because it was something I'd predicted people would wear but modernized instead of the lackluster draping and cutouts a green de petza wet look would have been much more interesting however it'd be a disservice to not mention the people who were incredibly successful when it came to being referential take for instance actress Yara Shahidi whose Ensemble was an Ode to Black American Josephine Baker who during her time was dubbed the black Venus and creole goddess although famously remembered for her banana skirt the old Hollywood take worn by Yara is an incredibly beautiful way of paying homage to an icon old Hollywood served as many people's inspiration with actress Emily Blunt wearing something inspired by Hedy Lamarr in 1941 Ziegfeld girl what's genius about this outfit is that while the reference can be easily spotted there were enough changes to the ensemble in both silhouette and styling that it's able to hold its own even amongst other are similar looking dresses that evening one of my favorite looks of the night was Sierra's sequin Jersey dress aside from the obvious fact that there's nothing more American than football the outfit is actually a direct reference to her husband whose Super Bowl ring she even wore to the event and the dress itself is a further reference to American fashion inspired by the designs of Jeffrey Bean who became famous for incorporating modern aspects into classic styles by adding cutouts shoulder pads and a longer train Sierra's version is a beautifully modernized take on beans Jersey dresses from the late 60s that's how you reference America and of course how could I not mention Lupita nyong'o's look which some interpreted as an Ode to Britney Spears 2001 amas look denim is one of those textiles that screams America largely because it's been made and worn since the country's earliest days by creating more of a structured and Visually Dynamic shape Lupita's dress is incredibly eye-catching and Chic instead of going the very easy Western route her hair was also specifically designed to highlight the quote afro hair experience with the shape itself referencing the artwork of Lorna Simpson as a movie buff I also got a kick out of Maisie Williams Ensemble which he actually designed with the help of her partner the look itself is meant to be an Ode to the 1999 film The Matrix with a color blocked black look referencing the Wardrobe of many of the characters while the bedazzled lines dripping off of her limbs are a call back to the lines of code in the film I also found that the styling was very reminiscent of the vamp archetype from the early 1900s further solidifying the American influence and her ensemble something that a lot of people don't understand about the Met Gala is that the celebrities who appear on the red carpet haven't paid to attend instead they're being invited by brands or organizations who buy the seats themselves it's essentially advertising that's why this year we saw an overwhelming amount of influencers and digital creators attending the event because companies like YouTube paid for their seats of course with Anna wintour's stamp of approval this is also the reason why we'll see multiple celebrities wearing outfits from the same designers because their entire invitation hinges on them working with said designer take for instance all of the Chanel and San Lauren brand ambassadors at this year's Met Gala they had no choice but to wear what they did if they hoped to attend although that clearly didn't work in their favor considering how boring and off theme their looks wound up being there were quite a few people who decided to make a statement with their looks for the Met Gala or at least they attempted however a lot of said looks were interpreted as performative model actress Cara Delevingne wore a Dior look that had pegged the patriarchy written in red across what seemed to be a bulletproof vest now Cara said that this was intended to be a sort of [ __ ] the man kind of message but this comes off as particularly tone deaf considering Peg the patriarchy is actually a licensed slogan trademarked by activist Luna matatas who has since stated that she feels the usage of the phrase the Met Gala misrepresented her intentions the fact that it's a stolen concept without so much as crediting the queer woman of color who created it feels like the epitome of white feminism this performative activism was similarly noted in other outfits that were supposedly making political statements like congresswoman Carolyn Maloney who showed up in a gown with the phrase equal rights for women on it despite having previously dressed up in a burqa following the U.S invasion of Afghanistan as a way of justifying the bush administration's decision these supposedly political statements are even more off-putting and tone deaf when you consider black lives matter protesters were literally being arrested outside while these celebrities were sitting at a thirty thousand dollar plate dinner the hypocrisy is impossible to ignore however I did think that YouTuber nikkietutorials had a beautiful message to make with her outfit the look was a tribute to activist Marcia P Johnson who regularly said pay it no mind and the dress was a way for Nikki to show pride in herself and her own history just last year she was being blackmailed by someone who was threatening to out her trans identity and now she's at the Met Gala aside from the obvious fact that many people showed up wearing non-american designers which isn't automatically a problem the majority of outfits felt very Un-American it was almost like they were afraid to commit as if the Met Gala isn't exactly the type of place to be over the top where were the deadly housewife looks inspired by Kelly reinstein and The Stepford Wives where were the 1950s waitresses with their Diner hats and roller skates what about some high fashion pilgrims with sharp Silhouettes and giant buckles what about references to classic American TV the things that we all know and love Sesame Street The Flintstones hell even The Simpsons could have have been interesting and of course what about shining some light on indigenous designers the people who are still struggling in this country as a result of it quite literally being stolen from them one of the most beautiful looks of the night was worn by indigenous model and activists Quanah chasing horse who wore turquoise jewelry made by former Miss Navajo Nation Jocelyn Billy Upshaw and while her presence was of course a delight it raised the question why weren't more indigenous people invited to an event that was supposed to be about America with how poorly the Met Gala went in regard to what people wore I'm really hoping that the second half of the event which will take place May 2022 will be better what were your thoughts on this year's Met Gala and which celebrity had your favorite look I hope you enjoyed this video don't forget to like And subscribe and I'll see you soon bye [Music]

Channel: ModernGurlz

Views: 1,781,393

Keywords: style, 90s fashion, fashion, movie review, movie commentary, review, movies, Film analysis, movie analysis, analysis, video essay, trivia, movie reviews, tv theory, cinema, television, entertainment, disney, disney live action, live action reboot, ranking, ranking movies, costume design, fashion analysis, style analysis, met gala, fashion show, runway show, nyfw, anna wintour, fashion history, nyc fashion, kendall jenner, met gala reaction, met gala review, met gala outfits

Id: 4JhQlD2cN-M

Length: 13min 52sec (832 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 16 2021