Did AOC REALLY pay $35K for Met Gala ticket? New York Rep looked at home in elite event
The Met Gala is an event full of both fashion and affluence. And while attendees are usually largely rich actors and musicians, politicians too make their way inside. And this year saw two different politicians making social commentary with their getups.
One was Carolyn B Maloney, a Democrat and the US Representative for New York's 12th congressional district. Maloney arrived at the Met Gala in a gown adorned with the purple, white and gold colors of the suffrage movement, featuring sashes that read "equal rights for women". She also displayed a green purse that read "ERA YES," a reference to the Equal Rights Amendment.
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The other was firebrand leader Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the US Representative for New York's 14th congressional district. Making her Met Gala debut, she wore a white off-the-shoulder gown by Brooklyn-based designer brand Brother Vellies that had a bright red message on it: "Tax the Rich". Ocasio-Cortez also had her trademark gold hoops and a single pink flower pinned into her hair bun.
Speaking to reporters at the event, she explained: "When we talk about supporting working families and when we talk about having a fair tax code, oftentimes this conversation is happening among working and middle-class people. I think it's time we bring all classes into the conversation.”
Did Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pay for a Met Gala ticket?
Tickets for the event cost at least $30-35,000, with tables costing about $275,000. Usually, 500 to 600 people attend the event each year. This year’s affair, however, was reported to be more intimate due to coronavirus restrictions. The exact number of guests has not been reported for 2021.
This year, the evening’s dress code also required face masks. All attendees were asked to provide proof of full vaccination and a negative rapid PCR test the day before. They were also reportedly required to wear proper face coverings when indoors except when eating or drinking.
As per Vogue, if one is lucky enough to be on the guest list, they don’t pay to attend. If one, however, is not on the list, but has managed to secure a chance of attending, they buy the tickets. As per a Fox Business report, while stars are given invites by Anna Wintour, the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, it’s very common for a brand to host them and buy tables at the event.
So, was AOC on Wintour’s list, or did she pay $35,000? The politician took to Instagram to clear the air. She wrote, “And yes, BEFORE anybody starts wilding out - NYC elected officials are regularly invited to and attend the Met due to our responsibilities in overseeing our city’s cultural institutions that serve the public. I was one of several in attendance.”
The 31-year-old Democratic Socialist also said of the dress and the designer, “Proud to work with @aurorajames as a sustainably focused, Black woman immigrant designer who went from starting her dream @brothervellies at a flea market in Brooklyn to winning the @cfda against all odds — and then work together to kick open the doors at the Met.” She added, “The time is now for childcare, healthcare, and climate action for all. Tax the Rich.”