There are a lot of rules around the Met Gala, but few are better known than no social media — and absolutely no smoking. Both are pretty self-explanatory: parties crowded with celebrities are probably more relaxing when you know no one is Snapchatting you, and smoking is just gross. Also, obviously the event takes place in the Met, which homes some of the most priceless and culturally significant artefacts on the planet.
With that in mind, it was kind of a bummer to see all the bathroom cigarette selfies flow in over the evening and into the next day. Don’t get us wrong, we’re all for breaking the rules for a star-studded bathroom group shot, but we aren’t fans of anyone lighting up.
This photo is like taken at a college party except for the fancy dresses #metgala pic.twitter.com/wwiRCjre6x
— elif (@victuuris95) May 2, 2017
Turns out we weren’t the only ones: New York City health commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett sent a letter to the Met scolding them over the many snaps of celebrities glorifying smoking, writing: “When young people see glamorous stars smoking and flouting the law, it undermines the progress that has been made in de-normalising smoking and increasing awareness of smoking’s health risks.” She also offered to help provide extra staff next year to make sure the bathrooms are smoke free.
To be fair, it’s not like the Met were handing out lighters at the door. After all, their exhibits were the ones under threat. As one anonymous donor explained to Page Six, “it’s disrespectful to the art collection, which needs to be kept 100 percent smoke-free.” The donor also suggested the stars in question should cop the $100 fine handed to any other person who wandered into the museum and decided to light up.
In response the Met have released a statement acknowledging that “a small number of guests” did violate smoking laws, and stressed that going forward they would “take steps to ensure this does not happen again.”
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Text Wendy Syfret