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AOC wears ‘tax the rich’ dress — while attending star-studded $30K-per-person Met Gala
Photos by Kevin Mazur/MG21/Getty Images For The Met Museum/Vogue

AOC wears ‘tax the rich’ dress — while attending star-studded $30K-per-person Met Gala

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) raised eyebrows on Monday night when she wore a white dress emblazoned with slogan "Tax the Rich" — to a $30,000-per-ticket superstar soirée well known to elite groups as the annual Met Gala.

It is unclear at the time of this reporting whether Ocasio-Cortez purchased a ticket to the event.

What are the details?

Ocasio-Cortez, 31, attended the swanky fete with her boyfriend, Riley Roberts, on Monday night.

The New York congresswoman, a self-described democratic socialist, makes approximately $174,000 per year.

During a red-carpet interview at the event, Ocasio-Cortez said that she and the designer of the dress, Aurora James, collaborated and discussed "what it means to be working-class women of color" at the lavish Met event.

"When Aurora and were I first kind of partnered, we really started having a conversation about what it means to be working-class women of color at the Met, and we said, we can't just play along, but we need to break the fourth wall and challenge some of the institutions, and while the Met is known for its spectacle, we should have a conversation about it," she explained.

According to CNN, Ocasio-Cortez also told reporters that she believes it's high time to "bring all classes into the conversation" about implementing what she considers to be a "fair tax code."

"When we talk about supporting working families and when we talk about having a fair tax code, oftentimes this conversation is happening among working and middle class people (on) the Senate floor," she told reporters. "I think it's time we bring all classes into the conversation."

What was the response?

While many die-hard AOC fans who believe that the self-proclaimed democratic socialist can do no wrong lauded the move, others weren't quite as tickled by the irony.

Actor Michael Rapaport blasted her appearance, saying, "Custom TAX THE RICH dress while at the most elitist event in the world. @AOC will soon be rich with a ginormous production deal from somewhere & done with Politics, guarantee it. Stop treating ANY of these people like celebrities they are public servants and work for US."

Virginia congressional candidate Tina Ramirez added, ".@AOC, who makes well over double the national average salary and who voted to give herself a pay raise, showed up at the #MetGala (an event which costs $30,000 per ticket) wearing a 'Tax the Rich' dress. This is obscenely out of touch and completely hypocritical."

Social media user Jonathan Snoddy added, "$30k a ticket? my VA Disability is only $1,100 a month how many months — damn i need a drink I like can't even with this right now."

Another user added, "Is she working class? 174k, scheduler, driver, staff, deduction for lodging in DC. And there are more perks."

"Working class women of color ? I'm one of those and could never afford that dress or a ticket. PLEASE think," another complained.

'Tax the Rich'

Ocasio-Cortez herself addressed the buzzy appearance on Instagram, writing, "Proud to work with @aurorajames as a sustainably focused, black woman immigrant designer who went from starting her dream @brothervellies at a flea market in Brooklyn to winning the @cfda against all odds — and then work together to kick open the doors at the Met. The time is now for childcare, healthcare, and climate action for all. Tax the Rich. And yes, BEFORE anybody starts wilding out — NYC elected officials are regularly invited to and attend the Met due to our responsibilities in overseeing our city's cultural institutions that serve the public. I was one of several in attendance. Dress is borrowed via @brothervellies."

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