Jameela Jamil condemns Karl Lagerfeld’s honor at the Met Gala. Actress and body positivity activist Jameela Jamil, has spoken out against the Met Gala’s decision to honor Karl Lagerfeld, a prominent figure in the fashion industry who passed away in 2019.
On Instagram, Jamil, known for her role in NBC’s “The Good Place,” wrote, “Hollywood and fashion said the quiet part out loud when a lot of famous feminists chose to celebrate at the highest level, a man who was so publicly cruel to women, too fat people, to immigrants, and sexual assault survivors.”
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A spokesperson for the Met said that this year’s gala theme, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” corresponded with the museum’s “mission to explore art and creativity from the ancient times through today and to examine moments of great importance and impact so we can gain a deeper understanding of art and history and invite dialogue and further reflection.” The exhibition ran in the museum’s Costume Institute. This year’s Costume Institute exhibition delivers just that by showcasing Karl Lagerfeld’s groundbreaking designs and unconventional production methods, sending shockwaves through the fashion and art industries.
The gala’s organizer, Vogue, was also contacted for their thoughts.
On Monday, members of New York’s high society, fashion elite, and celebrities walked the red carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to honor Karl Lagerfeld, the man responsible for making Chanel one of the most valuable fashion houses in the world during his tenure as creative director.
Despite his success as a designer, he was also a divisive figure who defended traditional ideas of beauty and criticized the #MeToo movement. In 2017, he caused controversy when he attacked then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel for providing asylum to refugees escaping violence at home.
Jamil clarified her tweet by adding, “This isn’t about cancel culture,” as a caption. It has nothing to do with Karl. The point is to demonstrate, in the most explicit terms possible, the prevalence of selective cancel culture within liberal politics.
She said that “slippery tactics and double standards like this” undermine people’s confidence in liberals.
As early as October, Jamil, whose body positivity Instagram account “I Weigh” has over a million followers, attacked the Met Gala, calling the topic a “disappointing double standard” in the industry and noting that Lagerfeld’s views were recent.
