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    Met Gala 2025 theme sparks ‘appropriation’ backlash: ‘Pray no one shows up in black face’

    By Taylor Knight,

    21 hours ago

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3Bt6Y7_0w0uxdhE00

    Next spring’s Met Gala could be canceled.

    Coiffed brows furrowed and tongues were wagging throughout fashiondom after Vogue revealed the selection of what some found to be a potentially problematic theme for 2025’s event .

    “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”, the magazine stated in an Instagram post, “will take the Black dandy as its subject, examining the importance of clothing and style to the formation of Black identities in the Atlantic diaspora.”

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4BnZIg_0w0uxdhE00
    Max Hollein, Lewis Hamilton, Monica Miller, Pharrell Williams and Andrew Bolton attend the Costume Institute’s Spring 2025 Exhibition press conference at Metropolitan Museum of Art on Oct. 9, 2024 in New York City. Getty Images

    LeBron James will serve as honorary chair. Co-chairs will include Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams and Vogue’s Anna Wintour.

    Armchair fashion critics were quick to file their reviews in the comment section — and elsewhere on the social media platform — on the stiletto heels of the unexpected announcement.

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    “Sounds like a recipe for appropriation disaster…Stylists, study up!” sighed one amateur scribbler.

    “Am I the only nervous about this?” another shared. “A good theme but let’s hope no one will appropriate cultures.”

    The vision for one of fashion’s biggest nights is said to have originated from Monica L. Miller, a professor and Chair of Africana Studies at Barnard College and Columbia University, who wrote the book, “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.”

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=10msaP_0w0uxdhE00
    “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity” by Monica L. Miller. Duke University Press Books

    In the weighty tome, she establishes Black dandyism as both an aesthetic and political construct, examining the figure of the Black dandy from its earliest depictions in 18th-century art to modern-day representations on runways and in films.

    Miller described showcasing Black dandyism as a concept that what will “illustrate how Black people transformed from being enslaved and stylized as luxury items, acquired like any other signifier of wealth and status, to autonomous self-fashioning individuals who are global trendsetters.”

    Vogue stated that the exhibit accompanying the event will include garments, paintings, photographs and video — all exploring the style of Black men.

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    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2yToEM_0w0uxdhE00
    “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”, the magazine stated, “will take the Black dandy as its subject, examining the importance of clothing and style to the formation of Black identities in the Atlantic diaspora.” Metropolitan Museum of Art

    Despite the apparent efforts to center Black fashion, many expressed fear the well-intentioned effort could go easily awry — as the biggest names in American pop culture potentially misinterpret the concept.

    “Kudos…let’s just pray no one shows up in Black face,” commented a concerned fan.

    “Plenty of time to do this theme right, I wonder how the other ethnicities will style this and not be culturally appropriating or disrespectful/stereotypical,” wondered another.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2Jtx0x_0w0uxdhE00
    A$AP Rocky will serve as one of the co-chairs for the event. Getty Images
    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2I24DL_0w0uxdhE00
    Lewis Hamilton will also serve as a co-chair. Getty Images
    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3YD1H9_0w0uxdhE00
    Pharrell Williams is one of the co-chairs along with Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky and Vogue’s Anna Wintour.  WireImage

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    See Also https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2o2iPu_0w0uxdhE00 Vogue announces its Met Gala 2025 theme — and celebrity co-chairs

    “It saddens me that there will be very few African American fashion houses able to display their art,” someone else mused.

    Still, many said they couldn’t wait to see their favorite fashion plates serving couture looks.

    “Zendaya finna eat this one up,” one joked, calling the “exciting” theme one “we deserve to see.”

    “This is brilliant. This is classic. This is history,” another gushed.

    “Black style through history has had an immeasurable influence on global fashion identity and commercialism. This Met Gala theme is wildly overdue,” applauded still another.

    Next year will mark the first exclusive look at dude duds since 2003’s “Men in Skirts.”

    The Met Gala will return to Manhattan on May 5, 2025, and the dress code will be announced in early 2025.

    Museumgoers will have the opportunity to view the Superfine exhibit from May 6 through October 26, 2025.

    For the latest in lifestyle, top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com/lifestyle/

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    Comments / 1
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    Nancy Whitlock Cantley
    4h ago
    They use the theme "black fashion," yet they are worried about cultural appropriation. Why even bother with the theme if they don't want people to dress up in black fashion.
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