Met Gala organisers put in months of work to carefully plan the event and agree on a theme. But some choose to completely ignore this and pick their own theme, which for many is making political statements through fashion.

This year’s political input came from New York mayor Eric Adams, who chose the Met Gala event to speak his mind about gun violence. The mayor’s waistcoat, covered in a white and black doodly print, read “END GUN VIOLENCE.” The gesture was a callback to the growing number of shooting incidents in the United States.

Also Read: Met Gala 2022: Elon Musk brings supermodel mom Maye Musk as his plus one

At the COVID-delayed 2021 Met Gala, New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez wore a white dress that had the words “tax the rich” printed on them. The move was described as a push for her progressive agenda.

Making political statements at the Met Gala has not just been limited to lawmakers and politicians. Multiple Hollywood bigshots have also taken a similar trajectory.

Take actor Lena White, who went against convention at the 2018 Met Gala and wore a rainbow cape designed by Carolina Herrera. White went on to use her red carpet time to speak out in support of the LGBTQ+ community. 

“I am repping my community, and I want everybody to know that you can be whoever you are, and be completely proud, and be doing it”, she said in a statement, according to reports from Vogue.

Also Read: Met Gala 2022: Kim Kardashian’s outfit a $4.8 million ode to Marilyn Monroe

Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney showed up at last year’s Met Gala alongside New York’s AOC, but came in with a different agenda on her mind. 

Representative Maloney a gown that paid tribute to the women’s suffrage movement, a move that was highly appreciated by her supporters and fellow lawmakers. The New York legislator also carried a handbag that read “ERA YES”, which expands to “Equal Rights Amendment.”