Culture

Shakira’s First-Ever Met Gala Appearance Finally Puts This Popular Meme to Rest

Lead Photo: NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 06: Shakira attends The 2024 Met Gala Celebrating "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 06, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 06: Shakira attends The 2024 Met Gala Celebrating "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 06, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)

Colombian superstar singer Shakira made her first appearance at the 2024 Met Gala on Monday, May 6. The singer, wearing a red Carolina Herrera dress, was first captured by the cameras as she made her way out of her hotel.

And then, of course, on the Met Gala carpet.

The theme for this year’s Met Gala, which will unveil the Costume Institute’s latest exhibition, titled “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” is “The Garden of Time.” Two big names from our communities, Bad Bunny and JLo, are among this year’s Co-Chairs, which also include Zendaya and Chris Hemsworth, with Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew as Honorary Chairs.

A few days ago, the singer celebrated fashion icon Donatella Versace on her birthday with a post on Instagram, sparking rumors that she would attend the gala and wear Versace. In the end, Shakira did attend, but she wasn’t wearing Versace, but Carolina Herrera.

The singer then teased her first Met Gala appearance earlier on the 6th, with a post on X, formerly Twitter, that simply read: “Hello New York” alongside a picture with candles and cutout photos of what looked like different dress possibilities alongside a cutout that read The Met Gala.

Fan reaction to the singer’s first Met Gala appearance was overwhelmingly positive with some fans calling her beautiful and saying “she never disappoints,” and others calling her “absolutely stunning.”

 

Fans took special note of her dress, with sleeves that looked like a flower but that didn’t go too hard on the theme and still accentuated her features.

Some, however, expected something a little more “spectacular” from her. 

With some even pointing out that she “has an entire album cover on theme and she wears this?”

There were even some fans who brought back the popular meme of Shakira being photoshopped into Met Gala red carpets because she’d never been invited. Now, it can be put to rest.

With some fearing that Shakira wouldn’t appear on the Met Gala carpet and the meme would continue.

But there’s need to fear. Shakira made it to the Met Gala.