The Met Gala is an annual, invitation-only fundraising event that is held on the First Monday of May. The funding raised by the ticket sales and donations benefit the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City. It is also known as the biggest night for fashion. Celebrities come dressed in custom-designed outfits and walk the runway. Some of the looks can be controversial, others can be stunning. Looks are not the only controversial thing; this year’s Gala had a bunch of drama, leaving some celebrities to not attend.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez were the primary sponsors and honorary co-chairs for the 2026 Met Gala. This was not taken well by the public. Current protests against Amazon have influenced the view of the Met Gala.
Since March of 2025, Amazon has gotten rid of their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, had a huge environmental impact with AI, and contracts with ICE. On top of that, despite Amazon’s Anti-Union efforts, movements against Amazon regarding labor in the warehouse in the U.S are beginning as of 2022, when the first strong union was made.
Celebrities like Bella Hadid, Zendaya, and even the Mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, did not attend the Gala because of the boycott.
On a more positive wavelength, the night is about Fashion. This year’s theme was Costume Art. The theme was chosen by the Curator-In-Chief, Andrew Bolton. Earlier themes have been more specific to cultures or traditions, like 2025’s China Through the Looking Glass, and 2025 Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. This theme is different. Costume art is more open and can have broader interpretations. Costume Art was divided into the following subcategories: Naked Body, Classical Body, Aging Body, Anatomical Body, and Pregnant Body. Bad Bunny wore make-up appearing to age him 40 years in the future to follow aging, while Kylie Jenner showed up in body forming nude dress to fall under Naked Body.
Kai Radtke (12), thought Lisa, former BLACKPINK star, had an outfit that stood out above the others.
“I like it because it’s unique and interesting, and it doesn’t look like her past Met Gala looks,” Radtke said.
Not all looks please people, Aaden Bridgeman (10), had an opposing opinion.
“I don’t like the Rock’s look. I don’t like the skirt, he looks like something from the 1800’s,” Briegeman said.
Art is very unique and subjective to everyone’s eyes. To have a look at the outfits worn by some of the most famous celebrities click here.
