Why is Everyone Talking About the Controversial Karl Lagerfeld Met Gala Theme?
On Monday evening, the world’s most well known faces descended upon New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art for the coveted 2023 Met Gala.
As well as boasting a star-studded guest list, the Met is known as the high fashion world’s most fashionable event. And this year was no different. The red carpet was dominated by some very iconic looks worn by Lil Nas X, Doja Cat and Jared Leto among hundreds of others.
Each year the celebrity event dominates headlines as stars show off their boldest fashion looks in an annual display of pomp and grandeur reserved for the select few. However, this year the Met may have caused more controversy than before. That’s because the Met Gala’s theme was dedicated to the late fashion designer, Karl Lagerfeld, under the title, A Line of Beauty.
Known as the powerhouse behind Chanel’s success and a close friend of Vogue’s Anna Wintour, the German designer died in February 2019 — leaving behind a legacy of iconic looks and fashion world trends. However, his legacy was also severely dogged by a disdain for plus sized people and making derogatory remarks to a whole array of figures.
Of course, this controversy didn’t go unnoticed ahead of the Met Gala. Some people spoke out, yet the majority pressed ahead and celebrated anyway. So let’s look into what actually happened and the fallout of this year’s event.
Why Karl Lagerfeld is a controversial figure in the beauty world?
Born in 1933, Lagerfeld rose to prominence as a fashion powerhouse whose career spanned over seven decades. Known for his iconic look, which included signature glasses and silver hair styled in a ponytail, Lagerfeld was a formidable presence in the world of high fashion and beauty.
However, this unique icon also gained notoriety for his outspoken criticism of anyone beyond a runway size model, a stance he took not only in his runway shows, but also in wider society, including targeting celebrities like Adele.
And, his disdain for anyone larger than a stick thin model wasn’t the best-kept secret. For example, he told one magazine in 2009 that: “no one wants to see curvy women.” He added during the interview with the German outlet: “You’ve got fat mothers with their bags of chips sitting in front of the television and saying that thin models are ugly.”
Other comments centered around the #MeToo movement, the body positivity movement as well as more vitriolic remarks that featured racist undertones. Among some other the dodgier experiences, he once put Claudia Schiffer in black face and an afro wig.
It’s difficult to gauge the wider impact of his remarks among the general population. While more people spoke out against him, it appears that the star seldom felt remorse about how he felt (apart from when he apologized to Adele for commenting on her weight). Despite his attacks of everything from body positivity to women’s curves, Lagerfeld actually remained a heavily influential figure in fashion circles until his death.
What was the Met Gala response?
Honestly, I doubt many celebrities attending the Met Gala thought twice about the wider implications of the Karl Lagerfeld theme. In fact, many praised him. However, there was some reaction when this year’s theme was announced that are worth knowing about.
Back in 2022, for example, TV star Jameela Jamil was one of the most prominent figures to speak out about this year’s Met Gala theme. She wrote on Instagram: “This man... was indeed, supremely talented, but used his platform is such a distinctly hateful way, mostly towards women, so repeatedly and up until the last years of his life, showing no remorse, offering no atonement, no apology, no help to groups he attacked... there was no explanation for his cruel outbursts.”
Closer to the event, the HF Twit Met Gala page, wrote on Twitter: “As we approach the first Monday of May, the hf twitter met gala team would like to announce that we will not be celebrating this year’s met gala as our values don’t align with the selection of Karl Lagerfeld as the theme. We hope to celebrate with our community again soon.”
Others such as the Model Alliance founder, Sara Ziff, told the New York Post: “What will undoubtedly be left unsaid about Lagerfeld, who I worked with regularly as a model, is any mention of his problematic attitudes toward women who did not fit his harmful and outdated standards.”
However, the wider consensus appeared to focus more on celebrating Lagerfeld’s successes instead of his personal attack. The Met is also displaying a huge exhibition that celebrarates the decades of work and Lagerfeld’s contribution to fashion. When pressed for an official response about any controversy, Met Gala curator Andrew Bolton recently said on a podcast: “That’s one of the reasons we wanted to focus on the work rather than the words or the man.”
“Because, yeah, he was problematic. There were things he said that were, yeah, difficult. And, again, did he mean it? Or was it a deflection? I don’t know, it’s hard to know.”
The right way to deal with a “problematic” figure?
While the Met Gala 2023 paid homage to Karl Lagerfeld, it also served as a reminder that his legacy and influence on beauty standards was one of elitism, and impossible standards. As always with such star-studded events, the show must go on and comments about Lagerfeld’s unsavoury opions will likely be overshadowed by stories about who wore the best dress. Yet the controversy surrounding his views on beauty standards cannot be ignored. Plenty of articles have highlighted his complicated legacy. Plenty of celebrities in attendance instead spoke fondly of Lagerfeld’s influence.
If anything, the mixed reaction to his legacy highlight the ongoing debate in the fashion industry about diversity, inclusivity, and body positivity. And, that more needs to be done.
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