TikTok Influencers Made It to the Met This Year, and That’s Okay

The Met Gala was destined to become one of the largest events in fashion. Born from the brain of Eleanor Lambert, the same brilliant mind who created New York Fashion Week, the first Met Gala was held in 1948. Lambert catered the gala for Manhattan elites in order to raise funds for the then-recently founded Met Costume Institute. The event got a makeover in the 70s when former Vogue Editor-In-Chief Diana Vreeland sent out invitations for big Hollywood stars and musicians to hang with the upper class of New York at the grand ball.

Vreeland’s decision to integrate celebrities separated the Met from any other high-brow benefit on the East Coast social circuit at the time. Stars began to bring the press and push exposure for the event, increasing the revenue from the Gala year after year—and the Met was forever transformed from a stuffy night at the museum to one of the most experimental and exclusive red carpet events to date.

In 1995, Vogue Editor-In-Chief Anna Wintour gave the Met a modern facelift, bringing it up to its current standards. The exclusive red carpet affair included not only Vogue cover stars and known celebrities, but also Wintour’s carefully chosen crowd of up-and-coming talent. While the pre-Wintour lists were limited to established entertainers and businessmen, the Met was soon graced with young talents who had just landed their first big roles.

Wintour has long perfected the art of presenting what is trending to high society as the world watches in awe. Darren Criss from Glee made his Met debut in 2012 right as the show was bouncing back from a rough third season. K-pop singer PSY landed a ticket for the 2013 Met Gala after the success of his international chart-topping “Gangnam Style.” So when TikTok stars showed up on this year’s red carpet, they only seemed out of place because they achieved fame through a platform that is still developing today.

This August, Instagram user @_metgala2021 shared a speculative Met Gala seating chart that spread like wildfire on social media as people assumed it was the real leaked list. Beyoncé was across the table from TikTok star Addison Rae and fellow top TikTok star Charli D’Amelio was sandwiched between The Weeknd and Kylie Jenner. Social media was both surprised and enraged at the thought of Rae being invited to the prestigious event, let alone sitting across from Queen Bey.

While sitting across from Beyoncé, a 28-time Grammy winner, is a stretch for a teen who got famous off of 30-second dancing videos, it is not a stretch to be in the same room. Fresh out of their first year of fame, TikTok stars are achieving the unthinkable. Hard work and impeccable timing have landed them jaw-dropping opportunities. It may be hard to admit, but someone was going to find fame on TikTok, and the app’s algorithms favored them.

Addison Rae—who, until recently, had no previous acting experience other than one voice acting role—most recently starred in Netflix’s He’s All That, a remake of the classic teen romcom She’s All That—and can frequently be seen hanging out with Kourtney Kardashian. Dixie D’Amelio only rocked the red carpet without her more famous younger sister because Charli fell below the age limit for attendees. Charli’s TikTok dances recently landed her and her family a Hulu reality television deal called The D’Amelio Show.

Online hate only solidified once the TikTokers actually arrived on the red carpet. One disappointed Twitter user shared, “ok so met gala 2021 we didn’t have: zendaya, dylan o’brien, beyoncé, kylie jenner, nicki minaj...BUT dont worry guys we had addison rae and dixie damelio…”

Fame ebbs and flows in waves just like fashion. Social media influencers function on an even shorter timeline, knowing that another viral star could take their place at any moment. The Met grabs these shooting stars while they can, afraid to lose the irreplaceable and mutually beneficial opportunity their attendance provides. Controversial YouTuber James Charles made the guest list in 2019 despite his past insensitive actions for this exact reason—he was one of the top YouTubers at the time. And where does fashion fit in all of this? There is no better promotion for a designer than a celebrity saying they are wearing their brand on a red carpet, especially one as prominent as the Met Gala’s. Likewise, there is nothing better for a celebrity’s numbers than to say they were chosen to wear such a prestigious designer.

When actually diving into the issue, what sets a viral star apart from a Kardashian? No one questions Kim’s attendance at the gala every year. At half the age of most of the other celebrities on the carpet, these teens have landed huge partnerships with some of the largest brands, starred in Superbowl commercials, and have extremely devoted fan bases. Even some professional musicians, models, and actors can’t say their resume is as decorated. Charli, Dixie, and Addison have all more than proven they are worthy of their celebrity titles and all the perks they come with.

Teenagers attending an event as highly regarded as the Met says more about our society than we may like to admit. Everyone who shares one of their videos or likes a Tweet mentioning one of their names is only feeding into the whole media frenzy. We all have the power to support or ignore a trend. Instead of focusing on how these girls got where they are, it may be much more worthwhile to examine what we give our time to on social media—and the truth that lies behind it. TikTok is no longer one measly app you can spend your lunch break scrolling through, it has become a powerful tool and a potential catalyst that can change someone’s life in ways we could never have possibly imagined before now.

By Taya Coates

VCU student, sunset enthusiast, and proud feminist passionate about making the world a better place.