See the Irony? Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Puts On 'Tax the Rich' Dress to $30K-Per-Ticket Met Gala

A self-proclaimed Democrat socialist, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez never misses a chance to show how much she detests inequality, lack of affordable healthcare or those who do not support Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation plan. She even used a star-studded Met Gala in New York to prove her point.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) send quite a complicated message across the room on Monday when she put on a white dress with a bloody-red “tax the rich” slogan for the Met Gala show in New York.

The lawmaker, known to many as AOC, said she partnered with lavish Canadian designer Aurora James who created the dress while keeping “working-class women of colour” in her mind.

"And we said, we can't just play along, but we need to break the fourth wall and challenge some of the institutions, and although the Met is known for its spectacle, we should have a conversation about it," Ocasio-Cortez explained to journalists on the red carpet.

Tickets to the Met Gala usually cost at least $30,000 but Ocasio-Cortez might have walked into the Metropolitan Museum of Art for nothing.

She stressed on Twitter (“before haters get wild”) that “New York elected officials are routinely invited to attend the Met” because of their “responsibilities in overseeing and supporting the city’s cultural institutions for the public.”

And before haters get wild flying off the handle, New York elected officials are routinely invited to and attend the Met due to our responsibilities in overseeing and supporting the city’s cultural institutions for the public. I was one of several in attendance in this evening.🤗

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) September 14, 2021

Social media users rushed to point out that attendees could get their invitation to the Met if they are chosen by a designer who is going to display their works at the event and has a table. In this case, the selected individual would have to wear the person’s design, according to a review by Distractify.

pic.twitter.com/XoFtWBAPlW

— Lo 🛸 (@elOReyeN) September 14, 2021

Aurora James is a founder of the luxury Brother Vellies brand, often worn by celebrities such as Rihanna and Meghan Markle. Her net worth is estimated to range between $1 million and $5 million.

It’s not quite clear whether it was James’ design that landed AOC with a spot at the Gala but many have found the message problematic, considering the place and the context.

Even Ocasio-Cortez’s usual supporters seemed angered by the lawmaker’s appearance at the extravagant event, where people don’t really care much about spending crazy sums of money on food and gowns.

First of all, no... this is awful, ill fitting & looks like she made it in Home Ec. Second of all wearing a $20,000+ couture gown (however bad) to a $35,000 per ticket event really diminishes the message she's supposedly trying to send & looks a lot more like she wants attention

— The Rose (@TheReddestRose) September 14, 2021

Love you @AOC but this was a bad call IMHO. There are much better ways to effect such change (like policy) other than flexing in front of the very people who will tune out your message.

— Mike Bouck (@mbouck) September 14, 2021

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attending the $35,000-a-ticket #MetGala in a Brother Vellies gown blaring "Tax the Rich" is a complicated proposition. pic.twitter.com/prxOojWxwx

— Vanessa Friedman (@VVFriedman) September 14, 2021

Bad look. Tax the rich at a gala for the rich by the rich with food and clothing by and for the rich

— Anthony Cinnerella (@acinnere) September 14, 2021

tax the rich at a rich person gala which has tickets going for 30k. alright

— xoxo, L (@donutbumper) September 14, 2021

Apart from her Twitter message on “responsibilities”, AOC hasn’t commented on the situation yet.