Bollywood superstar Alia Bhatt has joined the ranks of celebrities like Taylor Swift and Priyanka Chopra on the ‘Block Out 2024’ list, a group of entertainers and influencers being blocked by fabs for not speaking up about the Gaza genocide. Despite her recent appearances at events like the Met Gala and the Gucci Cruise show, Alia Bhatt has faced criticism for not raising her voice for Palestinians.
The ‘Block Out 2024’ movement encourages people to unfollow and block these celebrities on social media, aiming to hit them financially by reducing their social media influence.
Other notable names on the list include Priyanka Chopra, her husband Nick Jonas, and cricketer Virat Kohli. These celebrities have significant platforms but haven’t used them to speak out against Israel’s attacks in Gaza.
Some big names from the West have also been added to the ‘Block Out’ list, including Kim Kardashian, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Kylie Jenner, Zendaya, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Khloe Kardashian, Ariana Grande, Doja Cat, Demi Lovato, Lizzo, Nicki Minaj, Travis Scott, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Zac Efron, Joe Jonas, Kevin Jonas, and Justin Timberlake, among others.
The movement gained traction after this year’s Met Gala, where celebrities flaunted expensive outfits while Rafah was being mercilessly bombed.
The 50th Met Gala took place this week — also known as the “Superbowl of Fashion”. Every year, celebrity outfits make headlines. But this year, it was different.
The event coincided with Israel’s genocide taking place in Gaza — particularly the invasion of Rafah. Public, as well as residential areas have been targeted, 110,000 Palestinians have fled, while aid has been halted into the city.
People, including staunch celebrity fans, are now calling for not only unfollowing but also blocking singers, actors, and other members of the entertainment industry on social media.
We the People.Resist has compiled a list of celebrities who participated in The Met Gala and need to be “digitally guillotined” which they referred to as “Digitine”.
People are calling out the celebrities for choosing to remain silent on the on-going genocide and ignorantly attending a mega event which often acts as a distraction from real-life issues demanding attention.
Celebs ignoring Gaza genocide have karma coming their way with #blockout2024
Celebs ignoring Gaza genocide have karma coming their way with #blockout2024
Celebs ignoring Gaza genocide have karma coming their way with #blockout2024
Celebs ignoring Gaza genocide have karma coming their way with #blockout2024
Celebs ignoring Gaza genocide have karma coming their way with #blockout2024
Celebs ignoring Gaza genocide have karma coming their way with #blockout2024
Celebrities brought their A-game to this year’s Met Gala, with standout looks like Zendaya’s dark blue gown adorned with grape clusters and Lana Del Rey’s dramatic headpiece featuring tree branches. The event, themed ‘Garden of Time’, saw stars walking a lush green and white carpet surrounded by foliage and flowers.
Zendaya, one of the event’s hosts, stunned in a blue lamé and organza dress designed by John Galliano, with grape clusters adorning her outfit. She later changed into a black Givenchy gown and a floral Alexander McQueen hat. Lana Del Rey turned heads in a beige Alexander McQueen gown and a headpiece with natural hawthorn branches draped in sheer tulle.
The gala, a high-profile annual event, serves as a fundraiser for the New York museum and marks the opening of its Costume Institute’s fashion exhibit. This year’s exhibit, titled “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” will feature rare items from the Costume Institute’s collection, displayed through animation and projections.
Among the attendees were Jennifer Lopez in a beaded Schiaparelli gown, Rita Ora in a colorful beaded ensemble, and Queen Latifah in a black dress with orange bird of paradise accents. Ariana Grande dazzled in an ivory gown, while Lil Nas X wore a suit and jacket adorned with Swarovski crystals.
Indian celebrities Alia Bhatt and Isha Ambani showcased Indian couture at the gala. Bhatt wore a mint green Sabyasachi sari with real gems and a 23-foot-long train, while Ambani donned a couture sari gown by Rahul Mishra with intricate hand embroidery.
Outside the event, pro-Palestinian protesters gathered nearby, chanting slogans as Rafah got heavily bombarded by Israeli sources. Despite heavy police presence, the protest continued through New York’s Upper East Side.
Protesters in New York converged near the Met Gala on Monday in a rally against the ongoing war in Gaza, leading to several arrests, police said.
Among the rallying points were the gates of Columbia University, which has been the center of spreading demonstrations, before protesters marched through Manhattan to American fashion’s biggest night — or at least as close as police would let them.
The Met Gala, which attracts celebrities, fashion designers and mass media attention, is a yearly mammoth fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.
It was unclear how many arrests were made as stars walked the carpet and posed for photos, but AFP journalists confirmed several arrests while the New York Daily News reported the number was about a dozen, out of hundreds that gathered near the soiree.
Organizers on X, formerly Twitter, posted a flier for an event dubbed as the “Citywide Day of Rage for Gaza.”
Monday’s protest appeared unconnected to the demonstrations that have rocked Columbia’s campus, culminating in the university calling the police to clear out student protesters.
Despite growing concern from a number of young voters and some members of Joe Biden’s Democratic Party over the growing civilian death toll, the president has continued to support Israel in its war in Gaza.
Under domestic pressure from the left and the right in an election year, Biden has tried to walk a thin line, pushing for a ceasefire deal and warning Israel not to invade the Gazan city of Rafah — though he has not stopped US arms from flowing to the country or conditioned future aid.
Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel launched an offensive that has killed at least 34,735 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
Activist and actress Jameela Jamil took to Instagram to publicly slam the celebrities who attended this year’s Met Gala, where late German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld- who was a controversial figure for his many sexist and racist comments- was honoured.
Lagerfeld had been outspoken against allowing curvy women to pose for magazines or model, in response to women’s magazine ‘Bridgette’ when the publication announced that they would only publish pictures of real women instead of models:
“You’ve got fat mothers with their bags of chips sitting in front of the television and saying that thin models are ugly. The world of beautiful clothing is about ‘dreams and illusions’.”
Lagerfeld had also been a vocal opponent of the #MeToo movement, speaking to Numero in 2018 after three models accused the creative director of Chanel of sexual harassment:
“If you don’t want your pants pulled about, don’t become a model! Join a nunnery, there’ll always be a place for you in the convent.”
Jamil criticised the celebrities who had been vocal about social issues like #MeToo movement and body positivity for refusing to call out the controversial legacy of the late ‘Chanel’ fashion designer:
“Last night Hollywood and fashion said the quiet part out loud when a lot of famous feminists chose to celebrate at the highest level, a man who was so publicly cruel to women, to fat people, to immigrants and to sexual assault survivors. And all the women’s publications, and spectators online, chose to gleefully ignore it. Suddenly your appetite to find someone’s tweets from when they were 12, has gone.”
The ‘Good Place’ actor went on to share that the selective cancel culture within liberal politics needs to stop, because it further erodes the trust people have in progressive politics that it will actually make a difference in the world:
“This isn’t about cancel culture. Its not even about Karl. It’s about showing how selective cancel culture is within liberal politics, in the most blatant way so far. It’s about showing why people don’t trust liberals. Because of slippery tactics and double standards like this.”
Met Gala is considered as fashion’s biggest night of the year, with celebrities coming out in droves wearing the most elaborate costumes.
The event is hosted by the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, Anna Wintour, and is actually a fundraiser benefit for the Metropolitan Museum Of Art’s Costume Institute. Each year a new theme is decided upon for invitees to adhere to.
This year, the Met Gala theme was ‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty’ which was a celebration of the life and career of the late German fashion designer, who was the head of Chanel.
Celebrities from all over the world came to celebrate the occasion with wild and creative choices that definitely ensured that the biggest night of fashion lives up to its name. We had some old faces making a comeback, Bollywood stars who graced the red carpet and even some of Lagerfeld’s own muses who made an appearance.
Let’s go through all the biggest stars of the night and what they had worn to celebrate the occasion:
Bollywood starlet Alia Bhatt made her debut wearing a dreamy white gown designed by Prabal Gurung, which was embroidered with pearls. In her Instagram post, the ‘Gangubai’ actor wrote that her look was inspired by supermodel Claudia Schiffer’s 1992 Chanel bridal look.
The ruler of the fictional lanf of Genovia and queen of our hearts, Anne Hathaway, was the star of the evening with a stunning Versace gown, which was decorated with swarovski crystals and paired with a coin necklace by Bulgari.
But what makes the Met Gala live up to it’s name is that there is no strict dress code demanding beautiful gowns and polished appearances, with attendees allowed to go as wild as they want with the theme.
Actor Jared Leto decided to wear a full animal suit, honoring Lagerfeld’s beloved cat, Choupette.
Rapper Lil Nas X took a creative spin on the theme with his bold look: wearing a metallic colored thong and covering his body with silver paint, along with embellished jewels and pearls on his face and neck.
Among the A-listers were also some of the iconic super models of the 90’s, who had opened and closed for the late German designer’s fashion shows. Super model Naomi Campbell, who had began working with the late German designer when she was 16 years old, chose to wear a salmon pink silk sari from Chanel’s spring/summer 2010 collection.
Iconic 90’s supermodel and actresss Devon Aoki made her debut at the Met Gala along side with designer Jeremy Scott, wearing a custom Moschino designed by him.
Aoki had been famously hand-picked by Lagerfeld to be the ‘Chanel bride’, his choice ‘it girl’ who would close out Chanel couture shows.
Famous sports figures had also shown up dressed to the nines to celebrate the glamorous night.
Tennis legend Serena Williams attended the Met Gala alongside her husband Alex Ohanian, wearing a custom Gucci gown, where she also announced that she was expecting her second baby.
Tennis champion Roger Federer, who was also one of the co-hosts of the night, made a stunning comeback after attending last in 2017. He had worn a sleek black tuxedo paired with black sunglasses, and posed at the event with his wife, Mirka.
American socialite and model Kim Kardashian’s sartorial choice of attire at MET Gala 2021 triggered major meme fest on Twitter.
She arrived at the red carpet dressed in an all-black outfit that also covered her face. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star joined other celebrities on the red carpet in an outfit designed by Balenciaga Creative Director Demna Gvasalia. The reality star tied her hair in a ponytail and completed her look with matching heels. Not an iota of her face or any part of her body was visible in the body-hugging black dress.
Soon after the pictures were shared on social media, netizens from around the world started making hilarious memes on her choice of attire. Have a look:
Earlier, Kardashian was photographed in a head-to-toe black leather ensemble when she arrived in New York City ahead of the MET Gala. Her all-black ensemble included a trench coat, black leather gloves and boots.
After a year off due to Covid-19, fashion’s biggest event, Met Gala kicked off on September 13th.
With its dazzling return, this year’s theme was “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.” Some outfits were hailed as old Hollywood glamour. From Kim Kardashian’s full-face covering look to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s bold debut.
Here are the MUST-SEE looks from the red carpet this year:
Kristen Stewart in Chanel
The Spencer star graced the Met Gala with a very feminine look. She channeled her inner Barbie.
Kendall Jennerin Givenchy
Jenner attended the event in a stunning gown, inspired by Audrey Hepburn’s dress in My Fair Lady. The dress also included the same jewel-embellished sleeves
Lil Nas X in Versace
Grammy-winning rapper Lil Nas X turned plenty of heads on the red carpet as he showed off three stunning looks.
Rihanna in Balenciaga
The singer is known for her memorable appearances. She closed out the night with a stunning overcoat and matching hat.
Kim Kardashian in Balenciaga
One of the most talked-about looks of the night. Television personality Kim Kardashian is not new to weird and jaw-dropping outfits and this time she did it again. She opted for a full black look and wore her hair in a ponytail.
Cara Delevingnein Dior
The English model flaunted a powerful feminist statement.
Gigi Hadid in Prada
Former Victoria Secret Angel chose for simple and regal, took inspiration from the 60’s American Vogue.
Serena Williams in Gucci
The 39-year-old athlete hit the red carpet in a very unique ensemble, alongside her husband.
Frank Ocean in Prada
The singer’s date to the Met Gala was a green robot baby.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Brother Vellies
Democratic-congresswoman wore a white gown with the political slogan: ‘TAX THE RICH’ across the back for her first appearance at the Met Gala.
Dan Levy in J.W. Anderson
The Schitt’s Creek star made his debut at the fashion event of the year. He collaborated with Anderson to create a powerful ensemble that celebrates “the resilience and the love and the joy” of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Carolyn B. Maloney
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, showed up to the 2021 Met Gala on Monday demanding the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment while wearing a gown adorned with purple, white and gold colors.
The ball was co-hosted by pop star Billie Eilish, tennis player Naomi Osaka, actor Timothée Chalamet and poet Amanda Gorman.
The Met Gala was established back in 1948 as a way to raise money for social causes.
