“$30,000 per ticket”: AOC’s ‘Tax the Rich’ dress at Met Gala 2021 leaves the internet grossly divided

American politician AOC recently took the internet by storm after attending the Met Gala 2021 wearing a ‘Tax the Rich’ themed dress. She was also one of the few politicians to attend the star-studded event in its more than 70 year long history.

The theme of this year’s Met Gala revolved around celebrating American fashion. Therefore, the 31-year-old Democrat decided to send a debatable political message to America through her wardrobe.

AOC donned a white Brother Vellies gown with a ‘Tax the Rich’ message written in red on the back of her dress. The outfit was designed by Canadian fashion designer Aurora James. According to Vogue, the politician also carried a purse containing the same message as her dress.

AOC took to Instagram to share a picture of her Met Gala 2021 dress. She also explained the reason behind the choice of her outfit:

“The medium is the message. Proud to work with @aurorajames as a sustainably focused, Black woman immigrant designer who went from starting her dream @brothervellies at a flea market in Brooklyn to winning the @cfda against all odds – and then work together to kick open the doors at the Met. The time is now for childcare, healthcare, and climate action for all. Tax the Rich.”

However, AOC’s outfit sparked a huge debate online as netizens presented their contradictory opinions on the message. While some praised the politician’s choice of dress, others termed the move hypocritical, stating that her message contradicted the lavish nature of the $30,000 ticket fashion event.

Twitter reacts to AOC’s Met Gala 2021 outfit

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, aka AOC, is an American politician and social activist associated with the Democratic Party. She has been serving as the U.S. Representative for New York’s 14th congressional district since 2019.

She defeated Joe Crowley in 2018 and became the youngest woman to serve in the U.S. Congress at the age of 29. She was re-elected after defeating John Cummings in the 2020 elections. She is also one of the first female members of the Democratic Socialists of America to serve in Congress.

AOC is known for advocating several issues like workplace democracy, guaranteed federal jobs, medical care for everyone and free tuition in public colleges, among others.

She has also voiced her support for Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion reconciliation package and consistently asked for increased taxes on wealthy Americans. She recently attempted to share the same message through her Met Gala outfit.

However, her controversial ‘Tax the Rich’ dress left the internet completely divided. While many appreciated her creative decision to spread the important message, others criticized the politician for ironically wearing the dress at one of the most expensive and grand fashion events in the world.

Several social media users flocked to Twitter to share their reactions on AOC’s Met Gala 2021 outfit:

The Democratic Socialist opened up about her wardrobe while speaking to Vogue on the red carpet:

“We can’t just play along, but we need to break the fourth wall and challenge some of the institutions. While the Met is known for its spectacle, we should have some conversations about it.”

She further told Reuters that she chose the outfit for Met Gala to spread the message among the A-listers present at the event:

“I think it’s incredibly important, because when we talk about supporting working families and when we talk about having fair a tax code, oftentimes those conversations are happening among working and middle class people. I think it’s time that we bring all classes into the conversation about having a fair country.”

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As a plethora of contradictory reactions continue to pour in online, it remains to be seen if AOC will address the divided opinion of the internet about her Met Gala dress in the days to come.