AOC Attends Met Gala
The MET Gala is a spectacular evening with a celebrity-studded guest list, extravagant gowns, and renowned designers strutting their stuff on the red carpet. Vogue hosts the event every year to raise funds for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A ticket to this prestigious event will set you back around $35,000, and even then, you’ll need Anna Wintour’s approval. The majority of celebrities in attendance are, of course, given tickets by designers who are looking for models to model their creations at the event. However, the gala isn’t just for A-list celebrities; even New York politicians are invited to attend.
As a result, one of the most popular politicians among Democrats, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez AKA AOC walked down the famous red carpet wearing Canadian designer Aurora James’ “Tax the Rich” gown.
The dress drew the attention of the general public as well as political commentators on both sides of the aisle. People chastised AOC for attending one of America’s most opulent events, claiming it was diametrically opposed to her progressive ideals and work. Some even accused her of engaging in unethical behavior while serving as a congresswoman. Others were concerned that wearing a dress with the slogan “Tax the Rich” splashed across the back would dilute the message’s impact and reduce it to a slogan.
The AOC responded to the accusations by reminding people that New York elected officials attend the gala on a regular basis to carry out their duties as overseers of public cultural institutions. Regarding the other criticisms leveled at her, I believe the claim that she shouldn’t have gone stems from a misunderstanding of AOC’s political position. These criticisms of AOC are similar to those leveled against Hasan Piker, a leftist political commentator who recently purchased a $2.7 million home—both of which are based on flawed logic.
When it was revealed that Hasan Piker, a popular socialist twitch streamer, had purchased a nearly three-million-dollar home in Los Angeles, many on social media accused him of betraying his ideals.
These inquiries are based on a few misunderstandings. The first is that those who fight for working-class issues must be exclusively working-class in both material and social terms. Due to the rich’s resistance or apathy toward such issues, this sentiment may appear logical. Those from all social classes, on the other hand, can advocate for the expansion and protection of economic equality. It isn’t just a problem for the working class or the poor. Another flaw in this line of reasoning is that it assumes socialists must live in deplorable living conditions or be unable to improve their quality of life in order to avoid participating in the capitalist systems they oppose.
The second implication of such questions is that attending a lavish event detracts from the message and meaning that AOC was attempting to convey through her clothing and work. This interpretation is incorrect in my opinion. While wearing such a message on a high-end gown may dilute the seriousness of the policy prescription, the medium and setting in which it was delivered also reached new audiences and brought attention to the issue of economic inequality in a room that isn’t often forced to consider such issues. Many of the guests at that party are members of the so-called “rich” she is fighting.
Finally, while AOC’s appearance at the MET gala may not have been the best public relations move, there’s no reason to believe she’s abandoned her political beliefs and positions. There’s also no solid evidence that socialists like her and Hasan Piker’s attendance at the MET gala or purchase of a home in one of the country’s most inflated housing markets indicates that their activism and beliefs are baseless or performative. To do so would imply that you are an ideological purist, which, frankly, makes you sound like a zealous super-woke social justice warrior devoid of nuance.