When on Monday night, representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, alongside the designer of the powerful Aurora James, climbed the stairs of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a remarkable but succinct political message appeared on the back of her soft cream dress: TAX THE RICH.
This is not exactly a new cause for Ocasio-Cortez. In January 2019, for example, he suggested that a marginal tax rate of 70% could be imposed on wealthier Americans. But now he was carrying the message through the front door of one of the brightest events of the year: the Met Gala.
“When Aurora and I first teamed up, we really started talking about what it means to be working class black women at the Met, and we said,‘ We can’t play, but we have to break the fourth wall and challenge some of the institutions, “AOC said on the red carpet.” While the Met is known for its show, we should have a conversation about it. “
In other words, the dress was intended to drive the conversation about imposing the rich on a rich space, to confront the rich people where they live (or gala).
I don’t think it worked.
From questioning notions of masculinity to positioning Negresa as divine in a society that demonizes it, fashion has always been a way of political and often meaningful expression. When Billy Porter wore a well-made tuxedo jacket over a ball gown at the 2019 Oscars, it worked because it was an exploration of his masculinity and femininity. When Solange dressed in a black durag adorned with a golden halo, it worked because it invoked various black American spiritual practices and turned it into a fashion item that black people demonized themselves to wear in something like God. Power at the moment is evident in the fact that users are not trying to force change an institution in which they exist. They are navigating and adopting their identity.
But Ocasio-Cortez is an elected official. It has tangible tools to work with, so a one-phrase dress (designed by a woman who looks like she’s dating billionaire Edgar Bronfman Jr.’s son, btw) is a weird choice. As culture writer Shamira Ibrahim said:
In any case, the Ocasio-Cortez suit with which it has now become a “Twitter conversation point regurgitated“It felt more naive, or even happening, than iconoclastic. It’s one thing to demand higher taxes from the rich; it’s another thing to believe that if you move among the upper class we will convince them to embrace a substantial tax cut. It is also sadly incompatible with the world outside the Met, which has given power to Ocasio-Cortez.Last night, black protesters were arrested outside the event, for example, while demanding Mayor Bill of Blasio to defeat the NYPD.
But, unfortunately, much of the political gestures that take place in a well-funded public setting are empty. Like most other dresses with writing at the gala (yes, there were more), the Ocasio-Cortez dress is a superficial demonstration meant to grab attention. In this way, it is a victory. But when it comes to manifesting tangible results for voters, I find it hard to believe that a lot of wealthy celebrities will do more than wear the congresswoman’s slogan dress and, just being close to her, I think it is enough to indicate that they are on board. Giving them this opportunity is not even remotely the same as doing something about income inequality, which is, after all, their job.