Australian-Peruvian actress Nathalie Kelly has taken to social media to slam the Met Gala, calling the A-list charity event 'dystopian' and 'elitist'. The 41-year-old Fast and the Furious star posted to her Instagram stories on Tuesday, expressing her discontent with the annual fashion extravaganza.
Hosted at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on Monday, the event saw stars such as Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, Miranda Kerr, and Hugh Jackman walk the red carpet. However, Kelly was not impressed. 'Seeing all the Met Gala coverage and feeling like the state of fashion is so elitist and dystopian,' she wrote.
Despite her criticism, Kelly struck a more optimistic tone, adding, 'Luckily I am feeling hopeful about the advances being made in natural fibres, ethical factories, etc.' She also promoted The Fashion Stitch podcast, which focuses on sustainability and reform in the fashion industry.
Kelly's Environmental Activism
Known for her environmental activism alongside her acting career, Kelly used a photo of herself posing on the banks of a creek bed in her post. Her comments come amid growing controversy surrounding this year's Met Gala.
The Met Gala's Growing Scandal
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit, commonly known as the Met Gala, is held on the first Monday in May each year. This year's theme, 'Costume Art', encouraged attendees to explore how designers use the human body as a blank canvas. The event, hosted by former Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, is renowned for its exclusivity and meticulous planning.
However, this year's gala has been overshadowed by scandal. Many expressed outrage over the involvement of Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez, who bankrolled much of the event. When the ball kicked off on Monday evening, fans took to social media to blast it as the 'worst' ever, slamming the 'cheap' outfits and 'tacky' guest list.
Missing A-Listers and Controversial Guests
The event was notably missing many big names who had become Met Gala regulars, such as Zendaya and Billie Eilish. Instead, the guest list included an array of social media stars, WAGs, models, and heiresses. Plenty of the stars who did show up got it spectacularly wrong, turning the red carpet into a parade of sartorial disasters.
Famous faces at this year's event included Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Kendall Jenner, Sabrina Carpenter, Blake Lively, Zoe Kravitz, Hailey Bieber, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Gigi Hadid, Heidi Klum, and Katy Perry. But there seemed to be more Z-list celebrities than A-list, with attendees such as Cristiano Ronaldo's model fiancée Georgina Rodriguez, influencer Grace Ann Nader, and Rupert Murdoch and Wendi Deng's heiress daughters, Grace and Chloe.
There was no shortage of billionaires either, with the guest list including Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, heiress Isha Ambani, George Soros's sons Alex Soros and Robert Soros, Walmart heir Samuel Robson Walton, and venture capitalist Amy Griffin.
