The Met Gala, an annual extravaganza, raises an intriguing question: why does this event, a showcase of opulence and excess, evoke thoughts of the French Revolution's guillotine?
Charles Dickens' description of the French aristocracy, "disfigured by the leprosy of unreality," seems fitting for the 2026 Met Gala. Hosted by Jeff Bezos, the world's third-richest man, and his wife, the event was a display of self-indulgence and a celebration of the American oligarchy.
The Decadence on Display
The steps of the museum were a spectacle of decay and self-parody. A reality TV heiress donned a custom-made outfit, requiring over 11,000 hours of embroidery, while her sister sported a breastplate fit for a pop artist. A pop singer, with a brass trumpet and a massive cape, was accompanied by 'ladies-in-waiting' in sheer blindfolds.
Bad taste and brainlessness were on full display. An actress with a cage on her back, a singer trapped in a sculpture, and a Chanel gown that consumed 761 hours of labor. The theme, 'Costume Art,' was a thinly veiled celebration of money and the exploitation of human labor.
The Cost and the Context
A single seat at this gala cost a staggering $100,000, with attendees consuming over $42 million in tickets alone. The costumes, valued in the hundreds of thousands, were a marketing investment for the fashion houses. The ruling class' support for the arts is a farce, as these garments are worn for a few hours and then returned, a testament to their disposable nature.
The press treats this event with the seriousness of a state occasion, with panels of commentators analyzing the theme as if it held cultural significance. The contrast between this world and the reality outside is stark. While the rich indulge, the city's shelter system houses over 100,000 people, and workers collapse in Amazon warehouses. The wealth on display is the result of class war, and the Met Museum has become a prop in this grand charade.
Phony Dissent and the Real Issue
The dissent surrounding the Met Gala is performative and hypocritical. New York's mayor, Zohran Mamdani, distances himself physically but not ideologically. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's 'Tax the Rich' gown was a failed attempt at critique. Celebrities issue statements against Bezos but still attend, smiling for the cameras.
The Met Gala is a ritual that glorifies billionaire rule. It communicates contempt for the masses. The guillotine reference is satirical, but the question remains: how can we address the intolerable conduct of an oligarchic ruling class? Society cannot afford the rich, and the working class must take action. Expropriation is a necessity, and the time for change is now.
