The Met Gala was a visually stunning occasion that put Black people on display — but its blatant materialism overshadowed important discussions about class and what Black power truly means.
The theme — “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” — is named after an upcoming exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that celebrates the merger of African and European clothing styles that began in the 18th century, and it was inspired by author and professor Monica Miller’s book “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.”
The Gala, an annual fundraiser that raises money for the Manhattan museum’s Costume Institute, was an homage to Black materialism in what the organizers portrayed as its purest form: high fashion sense, and how it apparently has been used to assert Black identity and amass Black power. In essence: The message was that the clothes make the man.
And some of the largest, most luxe fashion brands in the world selected some of the wealthiest, most famous Black people in America as models for their clothing — and avatars for Black greatness — to drive this point home. As if to say the pathway to Black liberation and respectability travels along the seams of a fine-tailored (maybe Gucci-branded?) suit.
I found the looks phenomenal. I also found the air of elitism, classism and respectability politics hard to shake.
I found the looks phenomenal. (You can find some of the best ones here.) I also found the air of elitism, classism and respectability politics hard to shake. In this era of broadening wealth inequality, the idea of the Met’s handpicked Black elites donning expensive threads to convey regality and power at an event largely reserved for the uber-wealthy seemed more than a little out of touch.
The dandy style “challenges social hierarchies by subverting expectations of how Black men should present themselves,” Miller said in a recent interview with The Guardian. And I think that’s an idea the public should contemplate, rather than merely gawk at the spectacular fits.
Indeed, Black men dressing primly may defy some expectations of people who don’t think we can. But on the other hand, there’s been a persistent problem of people expecting us to dress primly to receive respect and human decency, a crisis we’ve seen play out over decades as Black men have been targeted and portrayed as criminals for wearing hoodies and baggy pants.
This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t celebrate Black creativity and aestheticism. I created a project celebrating Black hair — I certainly see value in praising Black innovation. But we need to be careful about associating high fashion with respectability and power, because it risks marginalizing and disempowering those who either choose not to conform or don’t have the means to do so.
