- Hyphenly by Immigrantly
- Posts
- Was Bhavitha Mandava’s Chanel Outfit Rage-Bait?: Digging into the 2026 MET Gala During AAPI Month
Was Bhavitha Mandava’s Chanel Outfit Rage-Bait?: Digging into the 2026 MET Gala During AAPI Month
Dear Hyphenly Readers,
Last year, Bhavitha Mandava made history as the first Indian woman to open a Chanel show. She was scouted on the New York City subway by Matthieu Blazy, the acclaimed French-Belgian designer. Born to Telugu parents in India, Mandava was in New York to pursue a masters degree from NYU. Her story became was inspiring, not just for her community, but for all who hope for more authentic “viral” moments outside of the narrow social media algorithm. She became known for her casual but chic look: a quarter zip crew neck and jeans.
At the 2026 MET Gala, Mandava was dressed in the same look. According to Chanel, the pants were made from silk muslin and printed with a blue denim effect.
Netizens were not happy with Mandava’s look. The MET gala usually means long flowy gowns and jaw dropping moments. Some called her look racist and said it was akin to a humiliation ritual.
Kareema Barry, a popular Indian influencer, said that she liked the outfit because it was an homage to Mandava’s journey. But do we care about the outfit or its optics on social media? Have we been rage baited into caring about the MET Gala?
This year the MET Gala was sponsored and co-hosted by none other than Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sánchez Bezos. Many have been protesting big tech’s involvement in the arts, especially since the rise of AI. On May 3rd, many activist groups entered the streets of Manhattan with calls to boycott the gala. They claimed to have hidden bottles of ‘urine’ at the gala to bring attention to the workers who were “forced to urinate in bottles to meet productivity demands.”According to NPR “Amazon workers were nearly twice as likely to be injured compared to workers at other warehouses in the sector.”
New York’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, made clear that he had “no desire to cozy up with Kardashians and Bezoses” and he skipped the gala, being the first NYC mayor to do since in decades. Mamdani said: “The fashion industry is made possible by the thousands of workers behind the scenes — seamstresses, tailors, retail workers, delivery drivers — whose immense talent and dedication deserves to be celebrated.”
So, what does Bhavitha Mandava’s rage-bait outfit have to do with the protests? Influencer Prerna Subramanian puts it best:
In seeking representation from the MET Gala and Chanel, are we losing sight of the larger picture? Our we letting our rage-bait boost the presence of Chanel on social media? Our favorite art influencer shows how this year’s gala signals our descent into the Dark Ages:
May is celebrated as AAPI month. It is meant to commemorate the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders of the US. Instead of looking at the MET for approval, shouldn’t we be supporting home grown talent and small businesses, instead? At Immigrantly, we pride ourselves on our coverage of the AAPI community. In fact, we’ve been spotlighted by Apple Podcasts for exactly that!
What are your thoughts on this year’s gala? Despite the involvement of Amazon, were you able to enjoy any of the looks? Send us a DM!
Until next time,
Team Hyphenly
This newsletter was curated by Suhasini Patni.
Hyphenly curates the latest news, art, and businesses from immigrants around the world. Have a tip or story we should feature? We’d love to hear from you.
Visit us at www.immigrantlypod.com
AI Alone Can’t Run Revenue
Finance doesn’t run on “mostly right.” It runs on math.
In The Architecture Behind AI-Native Revenue Automation, Tabs’s CTO breaks down why LLMs alone aren’t enough—and what it actually takes to build audit-ready, AI-driven contract-to-cash systems for modern B2B teams.