Met Gala Red Carpet Mocked—'More Like Colgate Gala'

The team behind the 2023 Met Gala attempted to freshen things up by giving the red carpet a new look, but fans just compared it to a toothpaste brand.

The annual fashion event, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, is known for featuring daring unconventional stylistic choices, and that was apparent by the set up of the arrivals area this year.

Monday's event saw the likes of Rihanna, Pedro Pascal, Lil Nas X and many more celebrities turn heads with their choice of outfits. The theme this year was "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty." Perhaps with a nod to the theme, the usual red carpet was traded out for a cream colored carpet with some prominent red and blue lines running through it.

However, the design was mocked online almost immediately. Twitter user @yassnito got tens of thousands of likes, retweets and comments for offering up an alternative title for the 2023 Met Gala.

"More like Colgate gala," they wrote. Expanding on their feelings, they continued: "I'm still seated but this was definitely a choice."

"9 in 10 dentists recommend going to the Met Gala," one Twitter user quipped, continuing the toothpaste theme, while others suggested it looks the carpet looks "minty fresh."

Others offered up their own take on Twitter, with one user saying it gave off "Pennywise vibes," referencing the It clown. "It looks like a community pool," another said.

The Met Gala has often defied convention when it comes to its setting. Recent years have seen the red carpet traded out for a red, white and blue pattern in 2022, a plain white one in 2021, and a pink one in 2019.

A red carpet is more of a term at this point, rather than a figurative description. The "red carpet" is often rolled out for celebrities or important people at events like movie premieres, award shows and even in politics for state visits.

The Met Gala has been running since 1973, but since then its importance and extravagance has stepped up exponentially in the following years.

At the 2023 event held on May 1, the price of a ticket was $50,000. The co-chairs of this years event were fashion journalist Anna Wintour, pop star Dua Lipa, British actress Michaela Coel, Spanish Oscar winner Penélope Cruz, and tennis legend Roger Federer.

This year's theme celebrated the life of German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, who died in 2019. Both Jared Leto and Doja Cat came dressed as Lagerfeld's cat, though their outfits differed greatly with their interpretations. Other attendees included the likes of Lizzo, Cardi B, Emily Ratajkowski, Jenna Ortega, Ice Spice and Margot Robbie. Meanwhile another tennis great in attendance, Serena Williams, revealed she's pregnant with her second child at the event.