And so the Met also talks about politics. The most glamorous event in the world is in fact tinged with pure white on which stands an inscription that is a slogan but also a political program: “Tax the rich”. Protagonist, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (“AOC”), deputy of the Democratic Party for the State of New York, hailed by a good half of the progressive world (and looked upon with suspicion by the other half), capable of drawing attention to if thanks to his undisputed political and (above all) communication skills.
As she herself says, in fact, the medium is the message.
The medium is the message. pic.twitter.com/b4Ssr6HkYR
– Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) September 14, 2021
Taking up a famous quote from scholar Marshall McLuhan, AOC is keen to let us know how perfectly aware it is of the fact that the channels used to communicate a message often become an integral part of the message itself. The content to be communicated thus takes on a “visible” form and support (real or virtual, it doesn’t matter) and consequently increases its strength, depending on the meaning that the channels themselves attribute to it.
To do all this, AOC this time showed up at the event organized by Anna Wintour(style and fashion icon) with a custom dress that, on occasion, becomes a political manifesto. Let’s leave aside the controversies (not very useful) regarding the cost of the ticket to participate in the event (and in any case it would be money destined for charity, so not bad) and those (just as little useful) related to the cost of the dress (so we leave the dynamics of fast fashion at Inditex for which a poorly paid garment is of quality or is sustainable), and we immediately clear the field of a misunderstanding: again, here, there is nothing. Nothing particularly newsworthy, nothing scandalous, nothing worth dwelling on for more than a minute. The dress-manifesto, in fact, is simply the result of a careful planning of a communicative occasion. And, as such,
First of all, because it is not the first time that the most famous financing event in the world leaves room for political messages: in this historical period, many public figures are exposed in a clear and clear way with respect to social issues. Natalie Portman did it at the Oscars with the hood and the names of non-awarded directors; Cara Delevingne did it, on the same occasion last night, with her overalls “against the patriarchy”; she does it – differently – Billie Eilish by refusing (until yesterday) to wear clothes that would sexualize her, diverting her attention from her art.
Moreover, each of these examples has a great common thread: the role of fashion. This leads us to think about the difference between clothing and fashion, forcing us to distinguish between the first – a mere product of the fashion sector – and the second, capable of generating innovative thinking and languages, binding itself to cultures and social structures and undermining them from the depths, thus upsetting the established order: in short, generating (also) political effects.
Above all, it is not new because for years public opinion has been telling of how AOC is very inclined to use new languages, to launch provocations, and very capable of finding a key to “newsworthiness” thanks to which to best convey its political slogans . Its communication methods – which some define as little different from those of other factions – rely on a skilful mix of simplification, simple and direct language, and on an excellent ability to manage the channels in their favor.
And the Met Gala is not just an event, it is a worldwide megaphone capable of generating attention with respect to the slogan, the proposal, but above all to the person. On this occasion, AOC has chosen (legitimately) to bring its own body to the center of the political battle, making it itself become an instrument of communication and struggle.
But we are sure that restoring this centrality to one’s body (beyond its form) is the best possible battle
. The medium and the message, and the form becomes an integral part of the content. But not always – perhaps – overlapping the two floors is the right choice.
“We really started having a conversation about what it means to be a working class woman of color at the Met… we can’t just play along, but we need to break the fourth wall.”
— Rep. @AOC on attending the #MetGala with @AuroraJames pic.twitter.com/UZj22DjMl3
— The Recount (@therecount) September 14, 2021
