About

The 2018 Met Gala or the 2018 Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute benefit was a formal event held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art to raise money for the Costume Institute, the only department of the Met that must fund itself. The festivities are mostly know for the elaborate formal attire worn by the gala’s celebrity guests.

Background

Held on the first Monday in May every year, the Met Gala is a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s costume department.^[1] To celebrate the festivities, it is generally expected that the high-profit celebrity guests of the event wear some of the most elaborate and outrageous costumes from the fashion world’s biggest names.

On May 7th, 2018, the Met Gala was held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City with the theme of "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination." Celebrities such as Jared Leto, Rihanna, Chadwick Boseman, Zendaya, Jaden Smith, Jennifer Lopez and more were in attendance. The event was a hit on social media as people offered praise, criticism and jokes about the night’s attendees.

Developments

Online Reaction

Throughout the night, people joked online about the Met Gala. Many of the jokes revolved around the lavish and expensive garments in contrast to those who joke about them.

That night, Redditor ^[19] tumho posted a mock tweet by Pope Francis in the /r/WhitePeopleTwitter subreddit. The tweet, a parody of the My culture is not your prom dress meme shows Rihanna's dressed in a garment inspired by the Pope. The post (shown below) received more than 23,000 points (92% upvoted) and 460 comments in 24 hours.

Twitter ^[8] user @reaghanhunt tweeted, "me watching celebs wear clothes that cost more than my college tuition." The post (shown below, left) 80 retweets and 680 likes in 24 hours.

New York Times writer Dave Itzkoff tweeted^[9] an image of the "space nuns" from Star Wars: The Last Jedi with the caption "WHO ARE YOU WEARING #MetBall." Within 24 hours, the post (shown below, center) received more than 240 retweets and 1,400 likes.

Comedia Dani Fernandez tweeted^[10] a picture of a small dog dressed as the Pope with the caption "Wow no one is talking about this icon #MetGala." The post (shown below, right) received more than 1,700 retweets and 6,100 likes in 24 hours.

Jared Leto

Actor Jared Leto attended the event wearing a blue suit, a floral scarf and a crown. Twitter^[6] user @alykeves shared an image of Leto side-by-side with an image of Prince John from the animated Disney film Robin Hood. The post (shown below) received more than 8,700 retweets and 41,000 likes in 24 hours.

Joan of Arc

Many noted that several celebrities wore outfits that were inspired by the historical figure Joan of Arc. Twitter^[2] user @frazbelina tweeted a picture of Zendaya in her silver outfit. They wrote, "Zendaya as Joan of Arc is a movie I want to see. #MetGala." The post (shown below, left0 received more than 11,000 retweets and 36,000 likes in 24 hours.

Twitter^[3] user @TrevellAnderson tweeted, "Well… tin men and women gotta go to church to, even if they from the 1600s.
Shailene Woodley #MetGala." The tweet (shown below, center) received more than 40 retweets and 240 likes in 24 hours.

Later that day, Twitter^[4] user @0329_91 tweeted, "zendaya looks like what shailene woodley thought she looked like." The post (shown below, right) received more than 700 retweets and 1,900 likes in 24 hours.

That day, Twitter^[5] published a Moments page about the style.

Jaden Smith's Gold Record

Notorious for his eccentric fashion choices, recording artist Jaden Smith brought his gold record certification plaque to the event. The Twitter^[7] account for Pigeons & Planes tweeted, "Jaden Smith #MetGala watch 👀 2016: Brings his sister 2017: Brings his own hair 2018: Brings his album's Gold certification." The post (shown below) received more than 4,900 retweets and 17,000 likes in 24 hours.

Nick Jonas Subway Ride

Recording artist Nick Jonas garnered attention after taking the New York City subway to the event. Twitter^[12] user @amandaxillegas tweeted a video of Jonas getting on the train. They tweeted, "When @nickjonas get off your stop on the subway." The post (shown below) received more than 800 retweets and 6,000 likes in 24 hours.

That night, Jonas tweeted^[11] a picture of himself waiting for the train. He tweeted, "Subway to the #MetGala 🗽 @dolcegabbana #AltaSartoria" The post (shown below) received more than 3,300 retweets and 27,000 likes in 24 hours.

Twitter^[13] published a Moments page based on the subway ride and reaction to it.

Media Coverage

Several media outlets covered the reaction to the Met Gala, including Uproxx,^[14] CNN,^[15] People,^[16] Vogue,^[17] Vanity Fair^[18] and more.

Search Interest

External References