On May 2nd, this year’s Met Gala event was held with a theme paying homage to a quintessential era of American history, the Gilded Age. The Gilded Age marked a period of rapid economic growth in America due to industrialization and the influx of foreign – largely Chinese and European – immigrants that contributed largely to the labor force of that time. This is why it only made sense to see the numerous Asian celebrities make their way onto the infamous red carpet at New York City’s very own Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Like every other year, the 2022 Met Gala is held as a fundraising event for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute and only the elite are invited to grace those iconic Met stairs while donned in elegantly designed attire. Prior to recent years, it was a bit more uncommon to see Asian faces on the attendance roster. However, with the surge of K-Pop and Asian-centered films such as “Parasite,” “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” and most recently “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” fans are starting to see more familiar faces at high-profile events.
Spectators of the Gala were buzzing at the appearances of Asian and Asian American celebrities such as Grammy award winner Olivia Rodrigo, Youtuber-turned-hit-musician Conan Gray, “The Venom” star Riz Ahmed, “Crazy Rich Asian” actress Gemma Chan, Chinese-American Olympian Eileen Gu and many more.
Actress and model Hoyeon Jung from “Squid Game” graced the red carpet wearing a cutout Louis Vuitton mini-dress and natural makeup inspired by the oil paintings from the Gilded Age. Her prep team entirely consisted of Korean staff, and her makeup artist, Nina Park, even told Vogue, “We feel deeply connected and proud to not only support Hoyeon but also see how amazing it is for the world to take notice of and support a Korean actress and show. It feels like family and is so surreal.”
Another A-lister to attend was NCT’s Johnny Suh, donning a three-piece satin suit designed by Peter Do. The Chicago-born K-Pop star told Vogue, “Growing up as a teenager in the States, I’ve always seen all of the stars I loved attending.” Do, a Vietnamese-American designer, joined him on the red carpet. He expressed his attention to detail when it came to constructing the outfit and explained, “We took the traditional satin lapel of a tuxedo—which was popularized throughout America in the Gilded Age—and decided to render the whole suit in a sleek black silk crepe backed satin.”
Not only did this event open up doors for Asian and Asian American celebrities but it spotlighted the many amazing Asian staff and designers who took part in bringing all these looks together. Seeing how foreign immigrants played a big role in building the foundations of the U.S., the representation of Asian American and Pacific Islander groups in events emphasizing American culture proves to be important.
JULIE KIM
ASIA JOURNAL
