The Met Gala, an annual fundraising event to benefit the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City, was held on September 13 this year. The Gala is typically held in May but was postponed this year due to Covid-19. The theme for this year's Gala was "In America." Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York representative, took her invite to the Met Gala and ran with it. She was accompanied by Aurora James, the designer of her dress and founder of Brooklyn-based designer brand- Brother Vellies. Her dress, an off-the-shoulder white gown, included a surprise message on the back - "Tax the Rich."
Since the event, AOC has been getting lots of backlash regarding the message. Many people have said that it was inappropriate because she attended one of the year's most prestigious events. Personally, I think it couldn't be more the opposite.Many believe that because a ticket to the Gala is around 30,000 dollars and she went, she should not have worn that dress. They don't know that every year representatives of New York are invited to the event and do not pay for a ticket. Typically, the designer will pay for a table and cover the costs of the attendees.
Even if AOC paid for her ticket to attend the Gala, it wouldn't matter in terms of her message. She was raised in the Bronx and knows what it is like to be a part of the working class. She has worked her way to the position she is in and it shouldn't be so hard to believe that many millionaires support higher tax rates.
Often we have these conversations about things like "tax the rich" in situations where the rich aren't even present. By wearing this dress to the Gala she opened up the conversation to a whole new group of people that are the subject of discussion.
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