Katy Perry has been hard to miss in the news lately — whether it’s her trip to space, her romance headlines with boyfriend and former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, or a legal clash involving two nuns.
The pop star’s recent years have been anything but quiet.
There’s no denying Perry’s place in modern pop, with era-defining hits like ‘California Gurls,’ ‘Firework,’ and ‘Teenage Dream.’ Still, some of her style moments have repeatedly sparked debate. Back in 2013, she drew heavy criticism after opening the American Music Awards dressed as a Geisha for her performance of ‘Unconditionally’, prompting accusations of racism and cultural insensitivity.
Then, in 2019, she faced another wave of backlash tied to a product from her Katy Perry Collection.
The designs — offered as both sandals and loafers — were black shoes featuring a face motif with striking red lips.
As criticism grew online, with people alleging the look resembled ‘blackface’, the items were quickly pulled from the lineup.
Now, her fashion is back in the center of the conversation, as fans and critics try to decode what her latest Met Gala appearance was meant to convey.
Perry attended the Met Gala for the first time since 2022, arriving in a white mask topped with a silver face plate. The piece, created by Miodrag Guberinic, paired with her custom Stella McCartney look — but it left plenty of people asking what the significance was.
Elle reported that Perry’s outfit ‘poked fun at the AI images of her attending previous Met Galas’, with Perry leaning into the whole gag.
And honestly, it’s refreshing to see her willing to be in on the joke.
One of the clearest nods to AI weirdness was in her gloves, which featured six fingers — a common error in AI-generated images.
Reports also say she collaborated with artist @sailkatycat to workshop ideas for the look ahead of the event.
According to a press release from Katy Perry shared via PEOPLE, the mask was “Designed to be a literal and symbolic reflection that invites the observer to consider that their perception of others can mirror their own internal world, and conversely mask truth.”
Her walk up the ‘red’ carpet included an extra theatrical moment: she revealed The Magician tarot card, which had ‘commitment to the bit’ written on the back.
The Magician is associated with manifestation, willpower, resourcefulness, and turning ideas into reality — at least according to Tarot Cake.
The dress’s long train, made from Italian dead-stock duchess satin, also appeared to hint at what may be her next single, titled ‘Watch it Burn’.
Reactions online were split. One user commented on X: “I thought Katy Perry’s look was simply GENIAL: her wearing a 6-fingered glove and a mask on her face to criticize the confusion that’s being caused between reality and artificial intelligence.”
Another wrote: “How will celebs ever be taken seriously when they wear the dumbest outfits like this. I’m dying that it’s Katy Perry pretending she’s astronaut now.”
To be fair, she technically was an astronaut — even if it was only for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, another person celebrated her chaos-era Met Gala reputation, saying: Nobody does unhinged Met Gala lore better than Katy Perry and I will not be taking questions.”
And there’s a case for that. Perry has made plenty of memorable Met Gala appearances over the years — including 2017, when she famously showed up dressed as a cheeseburger. She returned in 2019 in an elaborate candelabra-inspired look.
She didn’t make it to last year’s gala due to touring commitments.
Met Gala fashion has always delivered some wildly over-the-top moments, but the outfits aren’t random: attendees are given a dress code and are expected to interpret the annual theme through what they wear.
The event also serves as the kickoff for the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition, so the theme typically connects back to that show, while the dress code tends to be a more flexible prompt.
This year’s theme is ‘Costume Art’, aligning with an exhibition that places paintings and sculptures alongside historical and modern garments.
The exhibition reportedly explores ‘the centrality of the dressed body in the museum’s vast collection’.
The dress code is even broader: Fashion is Art.
For some, that kind of open-ended instruction sounds more stressful than something like ‘smart-casual’. British Vogue says the dress code ‘encourages attendees to consider the many ways that designers use the body as their blank canvas’.
Previous themes and dress code have included:
Theme: Superfine: Tailoring Black Style
Dress code: Tailored for You
Theme: Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion
Dress code: The Garden of Time
Theme: Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty
Dress code: In honor of Karl