Yahoo News Cardi B Addresses Backlash for Referring to Met Gala Look Designer as “Asian” Instead of Using His Name
Cardi B addressed the backlash she has been receiving on social media since the Met Gala on Monday.
During an interview with Emma Chamberlain for Vogue at fashion’s biggest night, the rapper was asked who designed her massive black gown, which took up the entire landing of the carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Sensen Lii for Windowsen spent two months working on the gown, so when she couldn’t remember his name, people felt she was disrespecting the designer.
More from The Hollywood Reporter
Archival Looks, Recycled Materials and Lab Grown Jewels Puts Spotlight on Sustainability at Met Gala
Met Gala: See All the Stars in Thom Browne's Class of 2024 Photo (Exclusive)
“I feel amazing,” Cardi said on the Met Gala carpet, before pausing for a moment and adding, “It’s this amazing designer. They’re Asian and everything.”
In response to the backlash, the “Up” artist posted a video on Instagram, per Entertainment Tonight, that has now expired and is circulating on Twitter (formerly X).
“I want to make this very clear, right, first thing’s first,” she began the two-minute-plus video. “When I was on the red carpet, I was very scared because the dress was supposed to be on a little podium. and I’ve been practicing how to pose on the podium, but at the carpet, I wasn’t allowed to use the podium. So I had a lot of things on my mind, and I was being rushed to the front of the line.”
She continued, “So when I was getting interviewed, I kind of forgot to pronounce the designer’s name because his name is a little bit complicated. So I was like, ‘Damn, how to pronounce his name!’ Like, my mind was just racing.”
The backlash she received for not remembering Lii’s name was further fueled by Vogue‘s former managing director Gilbert Cheah, who commented on a video on Instagram of Cardi at the Met Gala, slamming her for it.
“For the record and recognition, and no thanks to Cardi B, the designer of her gown is Sensen Lii, who’s Chinese,” he wrote. “The gown took two months to make. I personally think it’s boring and not even on theme, but she chose it and should have at least remembered his name and not just that he’s ‘Asian.'”
In her video, she explained that she said “Asian designer” because she knew he was Asian but couldn’t remember his nationality and didn’t want to offend him by assuming the wrong one. She also directly addressed Cheah’s comments, saying that she knows her designer and stylist work really hard for her team.
“So for you to be kind of shady because you feel offended or whatever, it just proves why you’re the former director,” Cardi said. “It’s like you’re trying to offend me, but you’re actually offending the people that work behind the scenes.”
As for the people on social media saying she’s not going to be invited back to the Met Gala because she forgot the designer’s name, she had one thing to say: “Baby, I’m Cardi B.”
Best of The Hollywood Reporter
