Actress Marissa Bode has taken to social media to criticize the Met Gala and the fashion industry for the lack of accessibility at events and their lack of disability inclusion at large.
The event has been criticized before
Research has shown that just under 29% of people in the US have a form of disability. But despite this large number, people with disabilities are hugely underrepresented at the annual fashion event.
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The Met Gala has been previously criticized for the lack of physical accessibility.
Hannah Diviney pointed it out before
Writer and disability advocate Hannah Diviney has pointed out the lack of accessibility at the Met Gala before.
She wrote in Marie Claire that there is no way around the stairs at the event, making it a ‘signal’ that ‘we don’t belong. We are not worthy. That’s the message of the inaccessibility of the Met Gala telegraphs.’
Marissa Bode has now also criticized them
This year, following the Met Gala which took place on May 5, Wicked star Marissa Bode uploaded a TikTok captioned, “We belong in fashion,” where she criticized the lack of physical accessibility and inclusion at the event.
She began by explaining what needs to change
Bode said, “What am I hoping to see at the Met Gala? Disabled people. This is another year of me once again asking where all the disabled people [are]. Stairs should not just be a full aesthetic. Be inclusive.”
Bode also criticized the industry at large
In a followup video, she further explained her take on the fashion industry as a whole, saying, “One more thing about the Met Gala, but also the fashion [and] acting industries as a whole, disabled people have been screaming for years to be included.”
“Not just, ‘Oh, you can book this one special diversity shoot. Oh, you can be a part of this one special episode.’ I mean, included.”
She called out creators who act like saviors
Bode continued, “While none of us need some savior to come and rescue us, all we want is to be heard and listened to and included.”
“And this goes along with the conversation of inspiration p*rn and calling a disabled person ‘inspiring’ — but not doing anything in your everyday life to actually make sure that your spaces are accessible, or fighting alongside disabled people.”
Bode criticized people who only ever talk about ‘inspiration’
The actor pointed out that some people only ever talk about disabled people being ‘inspiring’ without actually attempting to include them in such events.
She went on, “If you’re in the industry and have the means to do so, ‘Hey, why aren’t there other disabled people at the Met? And who can I talk to to help that happen?’”
She called on people to uplift disabled voices
To end her message, Bode said, “I am begging others and non-disabled people to uplift those voices and question those within your spaces — and those people within power to step it up. If y’all are truly allies, do the work. Help us all get there, because we cannot do this on our own.”
Bode also mentioned names that should’ve attended
In her video, the actor mentioned names of actors and models like Jillian Mercado, Lauren ‘Lolo’ Spencer, and Aariana Rose Philip who are “more than qualified to be in attendance” at an event like the Met Gala.
