People ought to be talking about California's consequential recall election today, but instead the internet is fixated on a dress. Specifically, the white gown emblazoned with "tax the rich" worn to the 2021 Met Gala by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, which caught flak from right- and left-wing folks alike. Designed by Aurora James, founder and creative director of Brooklyn-based brand Brother Vellies, the dress was intended to insert the congresswoman's crusade for economic justice into one of the glitziest events of the year. Despite the fact that AOC spends her day-to-day fighting for what her backside was preaching at the fancy party, some people called her a hypocrite. Others called her attire a lazy example of slacktivism.
No matter what you think of the dress, it certainly caused a splash. AOC posted a screenshot of Google Trends to her Instagram story, showing a surge in people searching the phrase "tax the rich." James addressed her divisive design on Instagram on Tuesday: "Fashion at its best is a tool to express ourselves, share our cultural identities and challenge ideas and norms," she wrote. "With access comes great opportunity," she continued in her post. "We can never get too comfortable in our seats at the table once they’ve been given. We must always continue to push ourselves, push our colleagues, push the culture and push this Country forward. Even when it’s uncomfortable. Fashion is changing, America is changing."
