Lena Waithe demonstrated the power of fashion as visual activism by wearing a rainbow flag cape to the Met Gala, a massive fundraising event that supports the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City.
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Each year, the event has a new theme that reflects the Museum’s special exhibition, and this year’s theme – “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” – was criticized by both progressives (for being insensitive during the #MeToo movement considering the Catholic church’s history of abuse) and conservatives (for being disrespectful to the Catholic church). However, Waithe turned the event into an opportunity to make a defiant statement of pride, visibility, and inclusivity.
*Feature image via The Hornet
**Note: Waithe’s rainbow cape also included both a black and a brown stripe that were recently added to the Philadelphia Pride flag to create visibility for non-white LGBTQ people. A more inclusive Philadelphia Pride flag was made possible in part by the leadership of Amber Hikes, the executive director of Philadelphia’s Office of LGBT Affairs.
