Jameela Jamil criticizes Hollywood’s 2023 Met Gala honoring Karl Lagerfeld
The late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld was honored at the 2023 Met Gala, but not without controversy. Actress and activist Jameela Jamil loudly attacked the event and Jamil’s honoree.
On Instagram, Jamil vented her frustration at the fashion industry and Hollywood for honoring a man who was “publicly cruel to women, to fat people, to immigrants, and to sexual assault survivors.” She criticized both women’s periodicals and online observers for turning a blind eye to Lagerfeld’s inappropriate behavior.
Jamil voiced her displeasure with the event when the topic, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” was revealed in September. In her most recent remark, she reaffirmed her position, saying that honoring Lagerfeld was a missed opportunity to make amends by not giving the highest accolade to a known bigot.
“This isn’t about cancel culture. It’s not even about Karl. It’s about showing how selective cancel culture is within liberal politics, in the most blatant way so far. It’s about showing why people don’t trust liberals. Because of slippery tactics and double standards like this,” she stated in the description.
Even though many people at the Gala paid tribute to Karl Lagerfeld through their attire, Jamil felt that the event’s focus on him was a distraction from more pressing social issues.
Because of Jamil’s comments, people in the fashion business are talking about cancel culture and taking responsibility for their actions. The Met Gala has a tradition of praising fashion and art, but how it will handle the honoring of controversial personalities in the future is unclear.