Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. What do you think of when you hear this name? Some might say they hear the name of a controversial politician. Some might say they think of a brave Democrat activist. Others might say they don’t know who she is. I certainly didn’t recognize her name, initially. But when my friend informed me that she was also known as AOC, I immediately recognized her. And not for her career or for her beliefs, but rather for the drama surrounding her Met Gala appearance. More specifically, the dress she wore with large red letters that simply read “Tax the Rich”.
Vogue and other fashion authorities have declared the dress a masterpiece. Vogue writes about the way that every part of the dress, including the C’s curve, was thought out. “The Democratic socialist congresswoman wore a white gown by Brother Vellies, splashed with the political slogan across the back (the bottom curve of the C in “rich” nicely mirrored the tulle hem).”
However, the dress was not popularized for its beauty, but rather for the controversial opinion it delivered, and the medium through which it was delivered. AOC’s concept of taxing the rich has always been one of her main political ideologies. As a staunch Democrat, she believes that the rich must not be exempt from taxes, but the opposite. She conveys that through the blunt “Tax the Rich” imprinted on the back of her dress, at one of the most-watched and popularized fashion events of our time. The opinion itself has evoked much hate from viewers, especially those that are right-wing.
However, this was not the only problem people found with the dress. Many people thought it was childish and petty to bring a political issue to an event that was mainly conducted for the entertainment industry. Statements from many people, including former president Donald Trump’s eldest son himself openly criticized AOC for even being at the Met. The Met Gala is usually an event for the rich and socially high-ranking people, with tickets to the event costing $35,000 per person. “Donald Trump Jr. did not hesitate to tag Ocasio-Cortez in a post, calling her a ‘fraud’ for ‘hanging out with a bunch of wealthy leftwing elites.’” Says Diamondback news.
All of the controversial opinions brought forth by this dress created a major media storm surrounding AOC. Many entertainment and news companies such as The New York Times began looking into AOC and her beliefs to find the purpose behind this dress. Several articles, blogs, and gossip channels started to pop up all over the internet, each proposing their opinions on the subject.
However, the purpose of this article is not to take a side, but to marvel at the brilliant strategy AOC used to get people’s attention. As Diamondback news theorized, “Maybe Ocasio-Cortez wanted to stir the pot. Maybe she wanted to create controversy for her viewers to discuss later. But clearly, she wanted to impact the audience, and her dress did not fail to become one of the most memorable Met Gala looks for 2021.” The idea of showing up to one of the most-watched fashion events in a dress that was guaranteed to catch people’s attention with its bright red and white colors was a genius move by AOC. It guaranteed attention from the media, whether good or bad. And this attention caused AOC’s message to spread to everyone, including those who don’t participate in political controversy. This brilliant move aptly took advantage of the way celebrity gossip works and used it to successfully deliver a strong message to the public.
Everyone has different opinions about AOC’s goal of taxing the rich. However, it is undeniable that AOC pulled off a thoughtful and clever strategy, showing that she greatly understands the way public opinion and news works.
Sources cited:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/15/style/aoc-met-gala-dress.html
https://www.vogue.com/article/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-met-gala-2021
https://dbknews.com/2021/09/23/slogan-controversy-dress/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/09/14/aoc-met-gala-tax-rich-dress/
