The Met Gala is an annual fundraising gala for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City. It is widely regarded as among the most prominent and most exclusive social events in the world. It marks the opening of the Costume Institute’s annual fashion exhibit. Each year’s event celebrates the theme of that year’s Costume Institute exhibition, and the exhibition sets the tone for the formal dress of the night, since guests are expected to choose their fashion to match the theme of the exhibit. The theme for 2021 was “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” and was held on September 13, 2021. The theme not only sets the tone for the annual exhibit, but also for the guests who attempt to dress to uphold the theme of the year, oftentimes causing runs on certain fashion themes among the world’s leading fashion retailers.

The Met Gala was established in 1948 to raise money for the newly founded Costume Institute and mark the opening of its annual exhibit. The first Gala was a midnight dinner and tickets were just $50 (factoring in inflation that would be roughly $567 today, a far cry from the reportedly $30k for a ticket to this years Gala). Each year the event includes a cocktail hour and a formal dinner. During the cocktail hour, guests arrive to walk on the red carpet, tour the year’s special themed exhibition, and be seated before the dinner party that includes entertainment from the preeminent entertainers of the day. This year the headline performer was Justin Bieber. In the past, the performers have been top singers such as Lady Gaga, Cher, and Madonna. Bieber, a Canadian, seems to be a bit off the theme was meant for guests to embody the theme of American style, which they did showcasing styles from flashy, star-spangled ensembles to more discreet nods to Americana motifs.

The costumes are almost always extravagant and range from the ridiculous to the gorgeous. While the red carpet at the Oscars is always a hot topic, the Met Gala is the fashion event of the year. By far, my favorite is another Canadian Shawn Mendes. I’ve never cared for Shawn’s music, but I could certainly look at him all day. He is tall and gorgeous, and he looked stunning in that jacket without a shirt. His shoes were a little odd, but oddities are always expected at the Met Gala. To see more of the looks from Monday’s Met Gala, you can go to Vogue Magazine’s collection of every celebrity look, outfit and dress here. I just prefer to look at Shawn Mendes (preferably without his girlfriend Camila Cabello), which had gay Twitter buzzing yesterday. I mean, just look at that gorgeous smile, not to mention that body.

A side note about Shawn Mendes: He is one of those straight guys that we all wish was actually gay, and though there has always been speculation that he is, in a Snapchat story several years ago, he addressed his sexuality. Mendes said, “First of all, I’m not gay. Second of all, it shouldn’t make a difference if I was or if I wasn’t. The focus should be on the music and not my sexuality.” He has also been quoted as saying, “I just want you guys — before you judge someone on the way they speak or act — I want you guys to think, ‘Hey, maybe I shouldn’t be judging someone’ or ‘Wait, it actually doesn’t even matter. They can do or be or feel however they want to feel.’” As someone who has always been judged by “the way they speak or act,” I respect him for saying this. As for why we all want Shawn to be gay, there are several reasons: he has a great body and smile as I mentioned previously, he seems genuinely nice, has a nice butt (not a great one, but I wouldn’t turn him down because of it), and from my experience, tall slender guys like Mendes always seem to have the largest “equipment,” if you get my drift.