The Met Gala is officially washed and udderless milk … this week in social change

Welcome back to our social change weekly, where we give you a rundown on the stories that have been captivating Gen Z from weird and wacky, to empowering and informative. ??

But before we get to the good stuff, how about a quick recap of the last seven days?

Just in case you missed it, music is apparently as beneficial for mental health as exercise –try ditching the dumbbells and belting some high-energy bangers instead – in a futuristic twist metaverse schools are looking like the new norm for education, adopting a slight sense of delusion may well be the key to maintaining happiness, and Elon Musk’s cash splashing doesn’t guarantee he’ll be given free rein of Twitter (thank goodness). ??

Once again, the Thred team’s made sure to keep change coming in all its various forms – trust us to keep you in the loop. Now for what you really came for, however, the focus of this edition a.k.a. the topics that have our readers hooked.

First up: C-list celebrities gaining entry, underwhelming outfit choices, and a totally tone-deaf theme – is it time to admit the Met Gala isn’t what it used to be? ??

Let’s dive right in, shall we.

If it feels like you’ve blinked and it’s the annual Met Gala again, don’t be alarmed. The last was rescheduled due to a well-known flu virus and occurred a mere 6 months ago in mid-September. As such, celebrity stylists were left with a short time to conjure up looks for this year’s event, which resumed according to its usual schedule: the first Monday in May. This limited preparation time has become painfully obvious gauging by the underwhelming attire and widespread disregard for the event’s dress code. ??

It’s a sentiment echoed by Twitter’s commentary, with overwhelming majority of onlookers criticising celebrities for failing to serve the looks we expected to see at fashion’s most iconic and esteemed event. Pinning down why we collectively feel the Met Gala is going downhill requires addressing the following questions:

Why is the theme so tone-deaf? ??

Every Met Gala has a dress code, a theme that guests are required to adhere to in exchange for being invited. This year’s guests were asked to dress in ‘Gilded Glamour’ or rather fashion that emerged from this historical era.

Look up the Gilded Age and you’ll find it described as: ‘The period in American history from about 1870 to 1900, during which rapid industrialization, a labour pool swelled by immigration, and minimal governmental regulation allowed the upper classes to accumulate great wealth and enjoy opulent lifestyles.’ ??

Anyone else feeling like this is a weird parallel to what’s currently unfolding around the globe?

At a glance, inflation is rising steadily as we (try to) ignore the pandemic ever happened, countless numbers of people are being forced to migrate due to war or climate change, and the pro-abortion bill Rowe v. Wade is being debated and subsequently overturned in numerous states across America.

Is the Met Gala being tarnished by its new, laissez-faire approach to the guest list? ??

It’s highly possible that the once majestic allure surrounding the Met Gala has simply begun to fade. Once upon a time, the Met Gala was an event attended to by the world’s most talented and famous. Guestlist status was off-limits for reality television stars, for example, who Anna Wintour is known to have refused to recognise as being in the A-list category. ??

In recent years though, TV personalities, TikTok stars, and YouTubers have slowly found their names added to the guestlist. Meanwhile, iconic celebrities like Rihanna, Beyonce, Ariana Grande, and Zendaya have noticeably opted out of attendance.

Has social media pulled the curtain back, erasing the mystique of the event? ?

Gone are ‘behind the scenes’ photos of models sneaking a cheeky fag in the bathroom together. Even the novelty of the star-studded bathroom selfie seems to have worn off, as our patience with celebrities has gone downhill, exasperated by the pandemic. Perhaps we’re sick of seeing the world’s wealthiest gather together, giving us nothing fashion-wise, and not even sticking to the theme. Perhaps we’re simply sick of celebrity – A, B, or C-list. ??

Or perhaps it’s all of the aforementioned factors coming together, making the Met Gala appear more lacklustre with each year.

Read more here to make up your mind on whether or not it can ever get its magic back.

But not until we’ve told you everything there is to know about udderless milk (fear not, it isn’t quite as gross as it sounds). ??

If, despite mounting peer pressure, you’re still consuming cow milk on a daily basis, there may soon be a more ecological and entirely cruelty free way of doing so.

As mammals we’ve (in the main) reconciled with the idea that natural milk has to come from a teat, weird as it is. But, what if we could replicate the same biological processes to get the beverage without a sentient creature being involved? ??

Boston based start-up Brown Foods has found a way of achieving exactly that, creating ‘udderless’ cow milk with the same nutritional value, taste, and texture as the semi-skimmed bottles in our supermarkets – all under laboratory conditions, and without a bovine in sight.

Exactly how they manifested milk from cell to bottle is currently unknown, but the success was reportedly significant enough to prepare for commercial production.

In-fact, the company is preparing to scale up using large bioreactors and even branch out into butter and cheese. Brown Foods believes that this product will eventually reach price parity with conventional milk, and claims that removing the need to rear animals could cut the dairy industry’s sizable greenhouse gas emissions by 90%. ??

As well as being entirely cruelty free, it also avoids the energy intensive tropes of lab-grown meat. That’s because instead of growing cells, Brown Foods simply has to keep them alive. Is there anything they can’t grow in labs these days??? Check out the full piece here.

Don't forget to keep a tab open on Thred.com for more from our global Gen Z writing team every single day. If you want more updates and planet-positive ways to take action, sign up for our email newsletter, and check out our youth empowerment opportunities through our Change Maker Network page.

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