‘The haters hated’: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defends ‘tax the rich’ gown

Washington: New York congresswoman and progressive champion Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has defended wearing a gown emblazoned with the slogan “tax the rich” to the lavish Met Gala, saying she has elevated the debate about wealth redistribution in America.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in her controversial “tax the rich” gown, with fashion designer Aurora James.Credit: Getty Images

Prominent conservatives, but also some on the American left, accused the self-declared “democratic socialist” of hypocrisy for championing the working classes while participating in such an elite and exclusive event.

In a post on Instagram, Ocasio-Cortez pointed to a spike in Google searches for the term “tax the rich” as evidence her outfit had encouraged people to research America’s “f-----d up tax code”.

“I thought about the criticism I’d get, but honestly, I and my body have been so heavily and relentlessly policed from all corners politically since the moment I won my election that it’s kind of become expected and normalised to me,” she wrote on an Instagram story. Ocasio-Cortez said women in politics faced a no-win situation in which they are criticised either for making bold fashion choices or for being “inauthentic” and “too calculated” when they choose more cautious looks.

“Ultimately the haters hated and the people who are thoughtful were thoughtful.

“But we all had a conversation about Taxing the Rich in front of the very people who lobby against it, and punctured the 4th wall of excess and spectacle”.

Ocasio-Cortez said she believed she received more vituperative criticism because she was a young Latina woman than if she were a man.

“I am so used to doing the exact same thing that men do - including popular male progressive elected officials - and getting a completely different response,” she wrote.

In a post on Twitter Ocasio-Cortez said: “And before haters get wild flying off the handle, New York elected officials are routinely invited to and attend the Met due to our responsibilities in overseeing the city’s cultural institutions for the public.”

Donald Trump jnr, the son of former president Donald Trump, said on Twitter: “What makes @AOC a bigger fraud: the “tax the rich” dress while she’s hanging out with a bunch of wealthy leftwing elites or the lack of masks after spending the past 18 months as one of the biggest authoritarian mask Karens in the country?”

Republican Senator Ted Cruz said: “Cost per ticket: $30,000. Virtue signalling to your base while partying - without a mask - with the people you claim to hate: priceless.”

Ocasio-Cortez has pointed out that she attended as a guest of designer Aurora James, meaning she did not have to pay for a ticket, and that her dress was on loan.

English actress Jameela Jamil was among those who said Ocasio-Cortez’s critics had missed the point.

“Everyone is talking about ‘Tax The Rich’ because of AOC’s stunt at a gala full of the people she was targeting, where she was invited for free in a free dress… to back up her actual legitimate work on this issue in Congress, and you’re all angry/confused as to why she did it?” Jamil wrote on Twitter.

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