How the Met Gala Discourse Shifted Under Trump
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This week saw fashion's biggest night unfold, with the annual Met Gala taking place in New York. Focused on the aesthetic and political roots of Black dandyism fashion, explored through the lens of the theme, "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style."
But this year, one thing about the Met Gala was significantly different from last year. Amid cuts to funding for arts and museums around the country, the discourse about the Met online has shifted as social media users highlight the importance of arts funding.
Why It Matters
The Met Gala came at a critical moment for funding in the arts. Recently, President Donald Trump's proposed budget called for the elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts. The NEA provides hundreds of millions of dollars each year to individuals and institutions around the country.
Teyana Taylor attends the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 05, 2025 in New York City.
Teyana Taylor attends the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 05, 2025 in New York City.
Neilson Barnard/MG25/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
The president is currently seeking to eliminate what he describes as "woke" influences, firing top officials, cutting funding and demanding new guidelines at the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian Institution and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
What To Know
A scroll through TikTok in the days after the Met Gala last year would've yielded multiple videos of the same theme: edits of attendees of the Gala set to the soundtrack of popular dystopian film franchise, The Hunger Games.
Calls for a "Blockout," started after the Vogue hosted party took place, tickets for which cost roughly $75,000. There were calls for popular celebrities to be blocked, with videos about this quickly going viral and racking up millions of views.
This year, online discourse about the Met has taken a different tone.
2025 was a landmark year for the Gala and marked the first time that the Costume Institute centered Black style, as well as being the first time in two decades that it decided to focus on men's fashion. It was also a record year in terms of fund raising, with museum officials announcing on Monday that it raised a record $31 million dollars this year.
A tent is seen over the arrivals area for the 2025 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025, in New York.
A tent is seen over the arrivals area for the 2025 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025, in New York.
ANDREA RENAULT/AFP via Getty Images
Many on social media have applauded the theme, but not only that, they have highlighted the importance of funding the arts. The gala uses ticket sales to raise money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, specifically The Costume Institute, which was first founded in 1937 and has a collection of over 80,000 costumes and accessories.
In a TikTok viewed over 500,000 times as of reporting, the creator Madison wrote "guys the cost of entry to the Met Gala is a DONATION TO THE MET which maintains some of history's most important art."
Another TikTok, made by the creator kyalen! Viewed over 600,000 times as of reporting had the text overlay "Before the Met Gala Hunger Games edits start, please remember the Met Gala is a fundraiser for the Costume Institute."
The fashion historian Cora Harrington shared a similar take on X where she highlighted the history of the museum and the myriad of employees behind the scenes.
"Who are these people in the background no one ever thinks about? They're Collections Managers, who build the custom mounts, boxes, hangers, bags, and other supports and coverings for museum objects," Harrington wrote in a thread on X, adding "And that's the purpose of the Met Gala. Not the dresses or jewels or photos. It's to fund salaries and pay for vacuum cleaners and sewing thread. It's to do all the things that people never see or think about."
A friendly reminder that the gala is to raise money for the Met Museum's Costume Institute. You can check out the new exhibit on Black Dandyism from May 10th until October. If you can't get to the Met in NYC, there's a new book showing the exhibit. It has some great essays. pic.twitter.com/gXFL9j22Q0 — derek guy (@dieworkwear) May 6, 2025
Meanwhile, the menswear writer Derek Guy wrote on X, "This year's Met Gala celebrates the history of Black dandyism, inviting us to reflect on how marginalized groups have used clothing to challenge stereotypes and assert dignity... Fashion intersects with politics, economics, globalization, sexuality, gender, identity, and nearly every other dimension of human life. Black dandyism is just one lens into that larger story, offering a way to think more thoughtfully about how clothing is used beyond trends and celebrity."
What People Are Saying
TikTok creator Kaylen on TikTok: This isn't just a rich people party. It's a celebration of artisans and designers! I HATE to defend rich ppl but they have always funded the arts... Preserving history through fashion is not focused enough! Plus this theme is something we desperately need culturally! Loving blackness, black history, and black fashion out loud and in your face!"
Fashion historian and author Cora Harrington on X: "If you believe in the importance of the arts. If you believe in preserving art for the future... that's what the Met Gala funds."
Menswear writer Derek Guy on X: "boycotting a charity event that benefits the arts – at a time when arts funding is getting slashed – in a year where the met gala celebrates black dandies... how does this benefit anyone?"
What's Next
The Met Gala takes place each year. As one of the most publicized and highest-profile fashion events in the calendar, it is likely to continue to facilitate discourse about arts and culture.
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