Met Gala or Party of the Year?

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute benefit, more commonly known as the Met Gala. You may know it as the event where celebrities drop about a quarter of a million dollars to sit with all their closest friends and wear a Swarovski-encrusted gown with a fifteen-foot train that cost them a low price of $20,000. Yes, that's right. Everyone who is anyone shows up at the fashion-world's equivalent of the Oscar's. Here , I will analyze some of the language used in two articles on this topic.

In this article about the Met Gala, language is used in such a way that makes readers believe this is a prestigious, amazing, best-night-of-your-life kind of experience, when in reality, you just eat dinner and listen to an off-key pop artist sing their three famous songs. Just a few of these words and phrases include, "black-tie extravaganza," "elaborate red carpet," and "intensely coveted." By using this kind of language, readers are convinced that the Met Gala really is worth spending $30,000 on a ticket.

In this piece, language is used to make the Met Gala sound more like a party and less like a fundraiser. It lessens the meaning of its title. "Fashion's biggest night" and "the Superbowl of fashion" are just a few of the phrases that are used to refer to the Met Gala. Frankly, these sayings deemphasize the fact that this is an event to raise money, and not something that has to do with publicity.

Whether or not you care about seeing the most high-end, avant garde looks, or that the Met raises money for the Fashion Department, it's clear that the Met Gala is one of the biggest events of the year. And hell! You may have even seen Trump propose to his wife in 2004!