Bevy Smith calls out 2021 Met Gala for lack of Black designers
Smith took to social media Monday night to decry the lack of Black designers showcased at the annual fashion costume event.
Author and TV personality Bevy Smith took to social media to decry the lack of Black designers showcased at the annual fashion costume event, the Met Gala, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on Monday night.
“A lot of boring looks, it’s the #MetGala,” Smith wrote on Twitter. “go big, extravagant or stunningly on theme, American Fashion didn’t begin with #OldHollywoodGlamour ugh.”
“Black people with access have become far too staid & safe we know how to do too much, be extravagant, but then it’s deemed ghetto until fashion “finds” it,” she added.
The former co-host of Fashion Queens later wondered, “And why no American Black designers, this is how you can tell that all that #BLM support was performative, if this was 2020 Black designers would have flooded the #MetGala carpet.”
One fashion site noted, “From my count: Keke Palmer & Megan Rapinoe in Sergio Hudson, Ilana Glazer & Kehlani in Aliette, Eva Chen & Jordan Alexander in @cjrtheperson, Sha’Carri in Theophilio & Brandon Blackwood, AOC in Brother Vellies, & Kid Cudi in Virgil Abloh (who looked a MESS).”
One follower wrote in response, “Black designers don’t need to be validated by a white centric gala. Why can’t our greatness be validated in Afro spaces.”
Smith replied: “We should be EVERYWHERE because fashion is a BUSINESS.”
The user continued, “I agree. But let’s shine in our spaces first and not feeling like the Met has to validate black designers. We can create our own that can attract the same high regard by the fashion world.”
The style-centric Smith had the perfect response: “Baby, this is a discussion about the Super Bowl of fashion, I hosted Fashion Bomb Daily fashion show, interviewed Misa Hylton on Saturday, attended Harlem Fashion Row, Harlem Fashion Week, LaQuan Smith, etc, we are shining in our spaces! We deserve to shine EVERYWHERE.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Gabrielle Union attends The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Iman attends The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Aurora James and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attend The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Jennifer Lopez attends The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Chloe Bailey andu2028 Halle Bailey attend The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Keke Palmer attends The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Megan Thee Stallion attends The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Whoopi Goldberg attends The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue )
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Yara Shahidi attends The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Frank Ocean attends The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Lil Nas X attends The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Normani attends The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue )
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 07: Nicki Minaj attends the Heavenly Bodies: Fashion
Earlier this year, Smith released her first book, Bevelations: Lessons from a Mutha, Auntie, Bestie, which dives into her career as a fashion advertising executive, shares how she reclaimed her life’s course and offers readers insight into how her personal transformation can help them live their best lives with honesty and joy.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s “Dear Culture” podcast? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. Download theGrio.com today!
