Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) send quite a complicated message across the room on Monday when she put on a white dress with a bloody-red “tax the rich” slogan for the Met Gala show in New York.
The lawmaker, known to many as AOC, said she partnered with lavish Canadian designer Aurora James who created the dress while keeping “working-class women of colour” in her mind.
"And we said, we can't just play along, but we need to break the fourth wall and challenge some of the institutions, and although the Met is known for its spectacle, we should have a conversation about it," Ocasio-Cortez explained to journalists on the red carpet.
Tickets to the Met Gala usually cost at least $30,000 but Ocasio-Cortez might have walked into the Metropolitan Museum of Art for nothing.
She stressed on Twitter (“before haters get wild”) that “New York elected officials are routinely invited to attend the Met” because of their “responsibilities in overseeing and supporting the city’s cultural institutions for the public.”
Social media users rushed to point out that attendees could get their invitation to the Met if they are chosen by a designer who is going to display their works at the event and has a table. In this case, the selected individual would have to wear the person’s design, according to a review by Distractify.
Aurora James is a founder of the luxury Brother Vellies brand, often worn by celebrities such as Rihanna and Meghan Markle. Her net worth is estimated to range between $1 million and $5 million.
It’s not quite clear whether it was James’ design that landed AOC with a spot at the Gala but many have found the message problematic, considering the place and the context.
Even Ocasio-Cortez’s usual supporters seemed angered by the lawmaker’s appearance at the extravagant event, where people don’t really care much about spending crazy sums of money on food and gowns.
Apart from her Twitter message on “responsibilities”, AOC hasn’t commented on the situation yet.