The Met Gala takes place every year in New York City on the first Monday in May, and each year a different them is chosen This year the theme was inspired by the 1962 short story “The Garden of Time” by J.G. Ballard.
The story is about a couple who use flowers from their garden to shape time and keep a mob away from them. Every flower they pluck, winds back time but soon their supply diminishes, and the mob arrives at their door. When they make their way into the couple’s home, they only find two statues made of stone.
The moral of the story is that you can’t buy time and beauty will not deter destruction or death.
Hmm….
What is the Met Gala and what is its function?
The Met Gala is a much-anticipated annual event that has been hosted by Anna Wintour since 1995. Originally known as the “Costume Institute Gala,” its purpose is fundraising for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The first one was held at midnight, in 1948.
Tickets at the time cost $50. Today, you must be invited, and you must also purchase a ticket for $75,000 vs. $50,000 in 2023. The exorbitant price of tickets today stands in stark contrast to the reality of today’s economy. In addition, the event has sparked a spate of negative publicity mainly for two reasons: the gala took place with two wars in its backdrop and commentary regarding how the flashiness and over the top costumes – that are obviously very expensive to make – very clearly show how out of touch with reality celebrity-dom is.
What happens at the Met Gala post-Red Carpet?
Not much is known about the goings on at this event, other than multi-millionaires from all walks are in attendance; that there is a performance and that you’ll get a daintily healthy and colorful dinner.
Photos that are taken inside during the event are not shared by the organizers, but you might see a few shots on social media posted by celebrities in attendance. Vogue has exclusive rights to photos taken during the event.
Most of the evening is spent networking, making and breaking deals and reconnecting with other celebrities. Then, it’s on to the after-parties!
Sounds like a great time, doesn’t it? So why the comparison to “The Hunger Games?”
Let’s see!
“The Hunger Games”
In 2008, author Suzanne Collins released “The Hunger Games,” the first book in a trilogy of the same name. Book two, “Catching Fire” was released in quick succession and the final title, “Mockingjay” a year after that. Film adaptations of the books came soon after. For this post, we will take a look at the themes and plot of the first book.
The story takes place in a place called Panem, which consists of a Capitol (wealthy) and twelve districts (poor). There once was a thirteenth district but, it was destroyed in a rebellion against the Capitol. Because of this, as punishment, the Capitol has created a lottery whereby one boy and one girl from each district is chosen to compete, as a tribute, in an annual event called “The Hunger Games.”
This event is televised, and tributes are forced to fight to the death in an arena. The survivor of the games and their family wins food, supplies and other “riches.”
That brings us to why the Met Gala, in particular, has been compared to this book.
2024 Met Gala vs. “The Hunger Games”
From all of the stories on social media, there seems to be three main reasons for this comparison. Many of the outfits worn by guests reminded people of the costumes worn in “The Hunger Games” as depicted in the movies. The conversations around the outfits was that the amount of money celebrities pay for their garments alone could pay for the college tuition of is not be able to afford it. This is one similarity that has been brought up.
The appearance of diet glamourization has upset people. At the 2022 Met Gala, Kim Kardashian borrowed the dress Marilyn Monroe wore at JFK’s birthday celebration. Kim publicly stated that she had to quickly lose weight to be able to fit it. At the 2024 Met Gala, she wore a corset-style dress that emphasized her teeny tiny waist making her appear uncomfortable, and as though it was hard to breathe. It was probably unsafe as well.
The issue here is that either due to financial limitations or lack of resources many go without food – even here in America. Yet, the images flooding all media are of ultra-skinny people parading on the red carpet. The images of war-torn cities, hospitals and injured people competing with images from the Gala seemed disjointed.
War protestors were silenced right outside the entrance to the Gala. A constant rush of activity had the entrance to the Met abuzz while guests were arriving and photographers drunkenly took pictures while protestors were being tackled to the ground and arrested in attempts to keep them from disturbing the event.
Met Gala Impact on Social Media
Social media influencer Haley Kalil made a comment at the event that would make anyone give her the side-eye. In a video that went viral, she used a sound byte that said, “Let them eat cake.” This is a phrase associated with Marie Antoinette, who was smack in the middle of social unrest during the French Revolutionary war. This was one of the seeds for what in the social media world is calling for a “digital guillotine” or a “block party.” Some social influencers are encouraging followers to block celebrities and associated companies who are considered to be out of touch, appear uncaring about the events in the world around them, or celebrities who aren’t nice to the people.
What do you think? Do you think the Met Gala is like “The Hunger Games?” Do you think the “digital guillotine” will yield the desired results?
