Why Are Met Gala Officials So Strict About Their No-Selfie Rule?
Every year, The Met Gala brings together the top celebrities and most influential individuals in the fashion industry in a star-studded affair.
Fans anxiously wait to see their favorite stars dazzle in their own clothing renditions of the year’s theme and look forward to seeing photos of each celebrity ascending the covenant steps as the enter the event.
Though there are a ton of photographers capturing photos of each celebrity as the enter the Met Gala, no one really knows what goes on past the pink carpet.
For the past few years, the no selfie rule has been enforced inside the Met Gala, but why is social media of all things, not permitted inside fashion’s biggest event?
Anna Wintour instated the rule in 2015
For the past four years, the use of social media and taking selfies has been banned inside of The Met Gala.
Anna Wintour, who is the editor-in-chief of Vogue and the chair of the Met Ball, hasn’t said why she put forth the social media ban but enforces it heavily.
In 2015, the magazine editor put out a memo, warning guests about the use of phones within the exclusive event.
“The use of phones for photography and social media will not be permitted inside the gala,” it read.
Though Wintour has not said why she put a social media ban on the event, many publications speculate that Vogue wanted more control over the editorial photos.
Many also theorized that the ban was put forth to increase the exclusivity of the event and if guests shared photos of the Met Gala on social media, it wouldn’t be as exclusive as it is.
Some publications have said that Anna Wintour wants guests to enjoy themselves and not be buried in their phones all night.
“Anna is sort of an old-school traditionalist. She likes a dinner party where people are actually speaking to each other,” The New York Post’s Sylvana Durrett said in 2016. “We aren’t sitting over people’s shoulders, but if it’s an obvious thing we might gently remind them.”
Celebrities have a hard time following the rules
Though Anna Wintour and Met Gala officials are strict when it comes to guests taking photos and videos with their phone, celebrities still end up breaking the rules.
During the 2017 Met Gala, Kylie Jenner got away with taking an iconic bathroom selfie with fellow celebrities such as A$AP Rocky, Slick Woods, Brie Larson, Diddy, Lily Aldridge, Frank Ocean, Paris Jackson, and many more crowded together.
Jenner captioned the photo, “annual bathroom selfie,” and it has gone down in history as one of the best celebrity group selfies to date.
At the 2019 Met Gala, Alex Rodriguez couldn’t help but document his night with his fiancée Jennifer Lopez, as well as Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.
The two couples were caught posing for a selfie despite Wintour’s no phones’ rule at the event.
