The question of whether influencers should be ‘allowed’ to attend the Met Gala is a tale as old as time. Or, as old as 2023, which was when Anna Wintour allegedly rolled back on the number of influencers in attendance at the prestigious event after facing scrutiny over the number of creators present.
In the past few years, many influencers graced the Met Gala carpet, including the D’Amelios, Nikki Tutorials, and Addison Rae, among others. Yet, that couldn’t be any more different from last night’s affair.
Do influencers get invited to the Met Gala?
At this year’s 2024 Met Gala, TikTok was a major sponsor of the event. It created its own #MetGalaHub content hub and live-streamed the whole thing on Vogue’s TikTok account. Even Shou Chew himself, CEO of TikTok, attended the event.
But with the exception of a select handful of creators — including Wisdom Kaye, Emma Chamberlain, and Hayley Baylee — it feels like influencers had a pretty muted presence at the Met Gala this year.
TikTok creators like Reece Feldman (@guywithamoviecamera) and Tefi (@hellotefi) covered the event for the social media giant. But that’s not really the same as being invited as a guest.
But if influencers are only used for their labor while companies like TikTok reap the rewards, it sets an uncomfortable precedent.
In the past, creators’ presence at the Met Gala has been slated. Some have argued that the amount of influencers at the event has put more prestigious guests off from coming. Others have said that the lack of influencers front and center suggests we are reaching the end of the “Instagram era” of influencers.
But ultimately, the Met Gala is meant to represent the current cultural zeitgeist. No one embodies that more than creators. If their contributions weren’t important, TikTok wouldn’t be a headline sponsor. And influencers wouldn’t be such an integral part of Met Gala coverage.
Ultimately, just because influencers’ contributions to culture are online, that doesn’t make them any less important.
