#racist photographers at the met gala

[srirachaz]

kpop fans be like:

[very-passive-viewer]

I keep seeing the opinion "she seems so exhausting" regarding Chappell Roan's behaviour the last few weeks...

Personally, I think more women should tell people to shut the fuck up. No negotiation. No reasoning. Just "shut the fuck up, get away from me." Rabid stans? Shut the fuck up. Abusive photographers? Shut the fuck up. I don't even really care that she cancelled those shows and didn't have a lengthy public display of remorse.

To the people who are saying "she chose this!!" I want to know your stance on unions. She's not a circus animal.

Also. Shut the fuck up.

[jinnie-ret]

met gala drama

stray kids x musician!reader (fem)

genre: fluff, slight angst

content warnings: racist implied comments (not from SKZ or reader)

word count: 1.4k

summary: it was a huge step in both of your careers, to be attending the met gala, but you hated how the excitement was dampened by ignorant paparazzi.

a/n: I understand some time has passed since this drama and I definitely don't want to take away from the boys achieved. This was just a creative way for me to use what happened in a story. Hope you enjoy :)

MAIN MASTERLIST part 1

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Ever since they had met at the VMAs, CLOVER had kept in close contact with Stray Kids, with talks of collaboration and even being the first to guest in a SKZ CODE episode. She was delighted to have formed a good bond with the boys and they felt the same towards her. Their first collaboration had been on a song released on CLOVER'S new album, the title of the single being 'Mind of Mine', a relaxed R'n'B track where each of the nine were able to voice what they were truly thinking. Their second collaboration arrived in the form of a similar genre, 'Lose My Breath'. Both songs were popular amongst Stays and Petals (CLOVER'S fandom).

It seemed the next thing that really tied the knot on their friendships were being welcomed into the Tommy Hilfiger family at the same time. The man himself had already recognised the familial behaviours of Stray Kids, but upon seeing how CLOVER acted in the mix made it easy for him to invite her to be a brand ambassador too.

CLOVER fortunately was not jet lagged, having traveled from England to New York a couple of days ago and had enough time to take in the sights. On the day however, she was buzzing. She was excited to see some of her good friends in person again to take a huge step in both of their careers at the same time.

She entered the luxurious room, admiring the creamy, beige colour scheme of the room. Plush sofas adorned by shaggy white blankets and behind them where silky curtains draped down to frame the room. She really had to get something like this in her own house, she noted.

This scene of wealth and riches was interrupted by the man himself, Tommy Hilfiger, making tiktoks of all things with Stray Kids.

"Are you filming a tiktok without me?" CLOVER feigned offence as she stood just metres away from the door, a hand held over her heart.

"Wah! CLOVER!"

"She's here!"

"Ah, she's finally here!"

The boys hooted and hollered when they saw her, this ecstatic aura spreading across the room.

"Hey, who said finally? I can understand Korean, remember?" CLOVER giggled as she was brought into a joint hug by Felix and Han at first.

Wouldn't be the worst way to go.

"Ah, sorry, sorry," Jeongin bowed politely to her before they shared a short hug.

The rest of them shared pleasantries and hugs before having a catch up, and that is when Tommy revealed the outfits they were going to be wearing. It was gorgeous the way the outfits complimented each other, CLOVER wearing a suit just like the others.

"Hey, Hyunjin, we're matching!" CLOVER grinned excitedly and the two of them instantly took selfies together before they were due to walk the carpet.

Despite their familial look, Stray Kids walked out onto the carpet first, posing with their coats before they moved slightly into different spots for CLOVER to join them and be the first to reveal the full outfit, Stray Kids following in a domino effect. Each of them turned to a different angle periodically, having their best model faces on to showcase the stunning garments, yet CLOVER couldn't help but notice particular words coming from the photographers.

"They're emotionless."

"Just like robots."

"Hey, turn to the left. Can you understand that?"

CLOVER was glad that they decided to perform the clothing with a more stoic expression, as if she had to smile it would have either dropped straight away and been frozen in place with false pretense.

"Woah, woah, guys, tone it down."

Ugh not the sarcasm too.

"Are they gonna perform or something?"

"Do they even understand what we're saying? What's the point?"

Oh, now, now her blood was boiling.

The boys walked inside the building but CLOVER stayed down on the carpet as she hadn't done any interviews there yet. She was for sure excited to see Emma Chamberlain. But unfortunately she had to interact with the paps as advised by her management company for some reason. Something about showing off her friendly personality. She wasn't feeling very friendly right now.

"Wow, it's so nice to actually talk to someone who speaks English!" one of the paps exclaim.

Oh dear. So, so, very misguided. She would need to kill them with kindness.

"Oh what do you mean?" CLOVER falsely smiles, delicately folding her arms.

"I mean you were stood with them, those Korean boys, they didn't even smile," a pap wrinkled his nose distastefully.

"Well maybe they understood the horrible racist comments you were making, because, some of them do speak English," CLOVER scanned her nails, before giving a fierce look with one eyebrow raised to the pap in question.

"I- ma'am..."

"I think you should be careful what you say. Your job is to take photos, no? It's not to insult those you seem to think are beneath you. Now, shall we take some more pictures of this fabulous suit?" CLOVER grinned for real this time, happy to have closed the conversation there and pose some more on her own considering the boys already had their group photos without her too. And you can bet on it that she didn't smile for the photos, returning to the same stoic face as before.

Eventually, after exiting the carpet and entering the building where celebrities were mingling and finding their seats, she saw Chan tapping his foot worriedly.

"Everything ok?" CLOVER asked Chan, patting his shoulder.

"I saw what you did, you didn't have to, you know?" Chan sighed, glancing at the boys before giving CLOVER his full attention.

"Oh I did," CLOVER answered in Korean, which therefore invited the rest of the boys to the conversation.

"What did you say to them?" Changbin asked curiosily, wanting to be in on everything single thing that happened.

"Called them out... For the racist idiots they were," CLOVER shrugged, pulling at her suit jacket to adjust it.

"You've gotta be careful..." Seungmin urged, but he couldn't hide his smile.

"It's fine. I wouldn't be true to myself if I didn't do that," CLOVER reassured them.

"What about the backlash you might get?" Minho wondered, still not sure on what CLOVER'S management was like.

"An article or two never hurt me, plus I know your company has strict rules and wouldn't let you speak out. It's fine, really, boys. I just couldn't stand there afterwards and let that man think what he said was ok," CLOVER waved her hands around as she doubled down with her reasoning.

"Ah, so selfless," Felix grinned, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as she laughed.

"Just doing what's gotta be done," CLOVER grinned.

"Stays will love you even more," Han joked, making the others laugh and nod in agreement.

"And Petals will just as fiercely defend you," CLOVER nodded.

"You finally decided on a fandom name?" Seungmin had a fond look on his face at the name.

"Yeah haha, Petals, what do you think?" CLOVER shyly clasped her hands together.

"Petals?" Jeongin tested the word out in English.

"Ah, Petals, it's... Come on Korean, come on Korean..." CLOVER had to think for a moment, "kkoch?"

"Kkoch... Kkoch-ip?" Chan tried to help.

"Yes! Yes! Kkoch-ip," CLOVER looked at Chan thankfully, making them all laugh amongst themselves once more.

"Ah that's cute!" Changbin cooed.

"CLOVER and her kkoch-ip," Seungmin tested it out.

"Why is that so cute?" Minho chuckled, his eyes crinkling as he grinned.

And so the night went on, and the rest of it went swimmingly. It did get to the point where CLOVER was exhausted though, so she was incredibly happy to once again be reunited with her hotel bed. She did a mandatory scroll on Twitter, audibly gasping out loud at the audacity the boys had to survive the Getty curse in the photos that were posted online.

~ WOLFGANG ~

CLOVER: excuse me? how dare you.

Jinnie 🎨: huh?

Catman 😻: what

Lixie 🐥: what did we do??

CLOVER: the nerve of you

[jpeg.31] [jpeg.73] [jpeg.9]

Chris 🐺: you just sent photos of us?

Sky 🐶: pls explain

like rn

CLOVER: you survived the getty curse!!

Bob 🦊: don't put a curse on us 🙏

CLOVER: bro I'm not cursing anyone

Quokka 🐿️: good 😭

CLOVER: these photos normally expose every nook and cranny of someone's face

and it didn't for you all

how dare you

Binnie 💪: I think that's a compliment

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tagged: @skz-streamer @kiraisastay @kpopmenace143 @haodore @arloo00 @dunno-wut-to-do @splat00z @cheesemonky @his-angell @2minstan @skzoologist @leonchansblog26 @atinyniki @writingforstraykids @minholing @lilmisssona @astraysimp @lixie-phoria @michelle4eve @linoalwaysknows @royal-shinigami @jolly04 @turtledove824 @yangbbokari @thisrandomgoofy15 @lieslab @hannamoon143

[caffeinatedseagull]

STAYs really need to get a grip.

Alright? Bc their behaviour recently is *not* okay.

Little gift before I begin my Ted Talk

Alright let’s begin.

I’m talking about the reporter incident.

We all know about how there was a racist photographer who was making rude remarks towards Stray Kids at the Met Gala.

Let me get one thing straight, the man is a jerk. I’m not saying you can’t hold him accountable. *Absolutely* hold him responsible and tell him his actions were not okay. Give him backlash for it.

But hacking the man’s personal website and leaking his home address everywhere on the internet is NOT okay. And it’s illegal.

Listen, SKZ themselves have said and done racist things in the past. They were held accountable, they apologized for a lot of the things.

No one hacked the JYPe website, people didn’t spread their dorm address across comment sections and posts.

And you know why?

Because that’s not appropriate behaviour for the situation.

Doxxing a jerk does not make you a hero.

Racism is a massive issue, and the guy 100% needs to be held accountable, but that is VERY different from what STAYs are doing right now.

Because do you think all this is going to make him apologize? Do you think he will understand why he shouldn’t do what he did?

No. If anything it will solidify and strengthen his beliefs.

Chan’s room was cancelled because of behaviour like this, y’all aren’t just hurting STAY’s image.

I get wanting to protect your faves, but y’all need to remember how big the fandom is.

There are *millions* of us.

Hate spreads like wildfire, and we are Australia.

Take a minute, let yourself calm down. Think for a little bit. And then you can act.

Bc y’all are causing damage, and it’ll only get worse as the fandom grows. Others are going to see that hate and hop on the bandwagon.

If you want to protect SKZ, first you have to save them from yourself.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk, have a lovely day!

TLDR: We need to get a set of fandom rules in place.

[hyunjins-orange-slice-too]

can i just say something right quick?

those photographers at the met gala, were disgusting and absolutely should face consequences for their actions.

BUT

i literally just saw the main photographers full ADDRESS and his PHONE NUMBER? like…

i agree what he said was not okay. it was racist and wrong. but i don’t think doxxing him is okay either. that’s low key kinda scary imo. that’s taking it too far. skz are grown men and they can handle themselves. the photographers should be punished, but not like this.

“when people think that they’re trying to help but they’re actually not”

[shortyinblue]

Seeing Stays and Atinys fighting on whether or not Ateez should go to the met gala and I just truly don't think it's worth it.

I think the boys can make a bigger impact if they're individually invited to these fashion shows than if they turned up all together at the met gala to stand there for a few minutes, getting yelled at by photographers and then going inside.

Also considering stylists at the met gala clearly never know what the fuck the theme is because Stray Kids turned up to a sleeping beauty/fable theme dressed as the goddamn warblers bruh. They looked good but also what did that have to do with the theme?

Not to mention Stray Kids got nasty fucking racist shit shouted at them. Not worth it.

San and Hongjoong are making bigger impacts by being invited to these solo events and I think they should stick to it.

(And fighting between Atinys and Stays is also fucking pathetic, the boys love and support each other and there's no competition with them so get the fuck over it)

[hyunpic]

the locals hating on skz bc of the met gala is making the psycho in me come out like ppl don’t realize just how much we ride or die for skz 🙄

like their outfits were not my favorite thing and i find it disturbing just how much work went into them just to not fit but whatever and like it’s okay for anyone to feel the same or differently abt that but to go out of the way to hate on them and to see just how many ppl are using it as an excuse to be racist or xenophobic is making me sick and homicidal

no because i feel like i didn’t even realize myself how hard i ride for these guys until i saw the locals hate towards them [as if they were the ones designing those outfits and they literally did nothing wrong during the event other than show up having good time] this morning when i woke up and i was genuinely tweaking 😞 like pls keep my wives names out of your mouths

and the way it’s not only just the locals like there were “professionals” [in quotation marks cause this is not professional behavior] the photographers too throwing insulting, belittling, xenophobic & racist comments to skz when they were in the room, not even trying to hide it. just blatantly being racist and laughing about it. when pictures were being posted, they wrote wrong names under the pictures and didn’t care to change to them etc like i cant even keep up with all the disrespectful things that happened. it’s sad and disgusting that this is still going on in the year 2024, you would think people would have changed for better but unfortunately that’s not the case

all i can hope is that skz still had good time despite all of this. and that they know we are really proud of them for making history and they deserve all the good things happening to them & coming their way 😞🩷

[jungkookiexxx]

❌️THE DISRESPECT ❌️

Stay Kids attended the Met Gala and was mistreated by photographers by mocking them and being racist. SKZ didn't let it get to them they were professional and carried on.

[bandzboy]

what happened?

basically skz went to the met gala and some photographers there were racist to them and so armys said that this is what bts went through back then many times and apparently some people made fun of it (that was shitty) but now they are saying because back then people were shitty to bts about being victims of racism stray kids deserve it as some sort of "karma".... just no words

[oikasugayama]

me when i see a tiktok of some photographers at the met gala talking shit about stray kids because they “look emotionless like robots”🤠

i’m gonna kill someone it’s their first met gala and they look incredible SHUT UP

Oh my fucking god I was literally just coming onto Tumblr to talk about that, you and I are on the same wavelength.

Not only was it incredibly disrespectful, it was racist. Idk how many other ppl are clocking that, but imo!!! 😒

Now, I'm an American white woman. I can't say that I feel targeted or hurt by what the photographers said or anything because I'm not of the affected group, BUT I, as an American white woman, have heard a LOT of a racist people say a lot of racist shit, and this is not the first time I've heard ppl say disparaging things about Asians being emotionless and robotic. I recognize the racist rhetoric and I'm pissed about it.

It's obvious that he said that because of a racist misconception/stereotype perpetuated by American media, and I'm pissed that he not only said it to begin with, but seemed so giddy while doing it. That is a grown man. If he's photographing the Met Gala, he has to be experienced in his field. There's no way he hasn't seen models/celebrities/etc. do stoic poses before. Did he call other people emotionless robots? Did he say they ruined the shots because they were "emotionless"? I doubt it. He only said that because he has racist misconceptions about Asians being stoic, or being robots, because racist American films often show Asian=Technologically Advanced=Robot, and I don't have the room to explain why that is, but trust me. It's absolutely an American/Western racist notion.

So that photographer saw a group of Korean men walk in together and turn and walk out together, and instead of thinking "wow apparently this is a really popular group" "oh their outfits are cool and coordinated" he thought "heh they're robots" because that's a reflection of the racist rhetoric he was taught, and believes.

Fucking disgusting. That photographer has no business being invited back to a high profile event, or any event, period.

Also, it should go without saying, Stray Kids didn't deserve to be subjected to that shit. It's their first Met Gala. It's not their first time in the States, but I hope to God it's their first time having someone say nasty shit to them as if they couldn't hear it. There is such a brain-dead disconnect between racists and the groups they're being racist against. That photographer probably has no idea basically everyone in SKZ can speak English. Two of them aren't even native Korean speakers. That photographer somehow doesn't know that these 8 grown men were posing for the cameras, like every. Single. Other. Guest. Was.

SKZ have such beautiful, infectious, bright smiles and laughs. They have such full emotions and expressions. Everyone does, for fuck's sake.

Get that racist photographer out of the damn industry.

[gothjeffskinner]

I've spent all of 2024 studying the Met Gala and I just saw a really misguided take that I want to correct.

From the beginning The Met Gala has been a publicity event and a corporate event. The modern Met Gala red carpet is about advertising. Everyone there is trying to sell you or the other people there something. A brand, their movie, their makeup, or just keep your attention. The best equivalence I have been able to come up with is Superbowl ads (pop culture moments but also just ads). Just because it is photographed not filmed does not undo that it is a media event.

Just because the Met Gala raises funds for a museum does not mean it is morally good. The money that funds the costume institute is often from really alarming places such as the Blackstone group ,Facebook/Meta , Morgan Stanley , Apple, and always Conde Nast (Anna Wintour's name is on the building).

The Met Gala is heavily curated to only present artistic interpretations on the theme that fit with the hegemonic ideals of the fashion industry, Vogue, and the Met.

Here is Robert Orsi's essay on the 2018 Heavenly Bodies exhibit and how it suppresses certain narratives.

The wealth shown at this event should be highly criticized. Each $75,000 ticket for 2024 could fund evacuation for 8+ people from Gaza.

All reporting on this year's gala (except what was posted by U.S Vogue) misidentified Muslim model Ugbad Abdi as Hanani Taylor the night of.

The event is a racist show of wealth designed to capture the public's attention. If you cared about the funding of the costume institute it should bother you more that the museum it is a part of refuses to fund it, not that people are questioning the power at play.

[hyunsvngs]

DID YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENED AT THE MET GALA FOR SKZ?? i feel so bad for them (the photographers were being racist towards them if you don’t know) :((

-37

yeah fuck them what if i killed them??? bc wtaf was that abt lolll

i dont normally comment on situations like tbat but like wtaf lmao

[witchern]

i’m not suggesting that 911 fans get on the same level as kpop stans — but i AM saying it was funny as fuck when skz fans stole/bought that photographer’s personal website because he said some racist shit to their faces at the met gala. anyway. food for thought.

[tvandfilmconfessions]

Perhaps the prospect of shooting an eight-member K-pop boy band could be a new professional challenge instead of something to bemoan.

The 2024 Met Gala should have been a strictly star-powered triumph for Stray Kids, when the current faces of Tommy Hilfiger set a historic first at fashion‘s biggest night out. Yet amid the glamour, Stray Kids fans — and, possibly, some of the members themselves — were left with the experience marred by their disrespectful treatment by red-carpet photographers, highlighting the systemic barriers still faced by non-Western artists in Hollywood.

The eight-member Billboard 200 chart-toppers attending the Met Gala marked the first time an entire group has hit the glitzy gala together. Making their Met Gala debut in custom-designed suits alongside Tommy Hilfiger himself, members Bang Chan, Changbin, Lee Know, Hyunjin, Felix, Han, Seungmin and I.N arrived at the Metropolitan Museum of Art collectively in navy jackets that would soon reveal the custom ‘fits in various shades of the clothing brand’s signature red, white and blues underneath.

But a few feet away, amid the flurry of camera flashes that surrounded all sides of the Gala entrance, derogatory comments from on-site photographers groaning about the group’s “robot” demeanor, annoyed that the reveal took place with their backs to one group of photogs, and thinking the band would only understand Korean reveal the thinly veiled prejudices that still plague the industry.

As The Daily Mail noted, some paps said people would get “confused” because the group took photos with their coats on and off — a racist stereotype that people of Asian descent are challenging to differentiate visually. One photographer can be heard making his peers laugh after joking that viewers would think “two K-pop bands” attended the 2024 Met Gala. (From this reporter’s findings from the last 48 hours, no one has made that mistake.)

The incident shed light on the unfair challenges international celebrities like Stray Kids face navigating less familiar territory in pursuit of global success.

Despite instances where SKZ easily and comfortably adapted to the American media landscape via live interviews like BUILD Series or People TV, last year’s MTV VMAs, or various Fashion Weeks, the singers still face barriers and a dismissive attitude toward their presence. It reflects a lack of understanding while underscoring the need for greater cultural sensitivity and inclusivity in entertainment.

Most of the Kids’ media experience is with Korean and Japanese events, which have systems and red carpets structured differently than in the States. At a typical K-pop event, press conference or awards show, there is a platform for artists to pose for photographers who are all collectively shooting together during a dedicated photo time. Guided by an MC, host or team leader like Bang Chan, the artists almost always coordinate their pose to their left, center and right for everyone to get a range of angles and shots. After that dedicated time, photogs are left to their own devices to get the best pics.

With this context, Stray Kids did attempt to show love to all sides of the photographers on the Met Gala carpet by staggering themselves so four members were more forward toward one side of the cameras and then turning around so the other four were more forward for the second group of photogs. Also of note: While the photographers knew Stray Kids were a K-pop act, members Bang Chan and Felix grew up in Australia and Seungmin spent some time living in Los Angeles; assuming that an English comment would slide past them (including “What’s Korean for ‘right’?,” which elicited laughs from the paps) is incredibly closed-minded.

While it is important to understand that photographers need usable and workable photos to fulfill their livelihoods, the diversity that Stray Kids bring to a function like the Met Gala should be celebrated rather than marginalized. Perhaps the prospect of shooting an eight-member boy band could be a new professional challenge instead of something to bemoan.

Korean artists have been attending the Met Gala for over a decade, with guests like PSY and Siwon of Super Junior attending more than 10 years ago and, more recently, seeing the likes of BLACKPINK‘s Jennie coming for her second Met Gala this year. Considering fashion’s consistent and growing affinity for K-pop partnerships, even more K-pop groups are likely to attend in the future.

Whether the comments were heard or not, Stray Kids moved with grace and poise on the carpet, and their presence alone reminds us of the importance of inviting and embracing different cultures, people and perspectives.

From the reality show that created their group in 2017, Stray Kids have had an unwavering determination to defy expectations and rise above adversity. Despite obstacles, the band’s overarching talent, humility, and tireless spirit to continue forward are not only recognized by one of the world’s most prestigious events but increasingly felt across the different Billboard charts. As they continue to break boundaries and challenge norms, Stray Kids can show how they won’t just make waves in the music industry, but help reshape long-held perceptions and inspire greater change. 

[starjxsung]

The amount of disrespect that Stray kids has gone through today at the Met Gala simply angers me. Yes, they are a big group — so disrespect is bound to come their way, and sure they might not care as much and it since they’re used to it, but why has disrespect become such a norm for artists that are not from America?

This country is so full of selfish and arrogant people, people that need to wake up and realize that these artists do NOT have to come to your shitty country. Anyone can say what they want, I don’t care if I’m from America, this place truly does suck sometimes. It has its beautiful moments, but it’s just mainly full of such entitled people. It’s full of people that think that others below them owe them something, people that think that a filmsy title to their name means they can have/do anything they want and get away with it.

Anyone can call me dramatic but seeing those disrespectful photographers being mean to them made me cry a bit considering that it was their first Met Gala event and they were clearly SO excited for it. It hurts me, and even if they don’t care about those people disgusting comments, I care. Why is it so so hard to treat people with kindness? To welcome them and actually make them want to visit? I hate that Stray kids has become so desensitized to hateful comments because it shouldn’t get to a point where they just don’t care anymore. And I don’t mean ‘Don’t care’ in a way where it genuinely doesn’t bother them, but ‘Don’t care’ as in, it’s a normal thing, they’re forced to learn how to get over it quickly.

It’s so sad, I hate seeing people get disrespected and to see that happen to Stray kids breaks my heart. I hope that SKZ knows how much a lot of American Stays truly loves them and that we are always going to be with them. I just wish people would change, we shouldn’t be like this to them, or any other group/idols.

‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

I’m so glad I’m not the only one who cried about it LMAO I was so focused on what they were going to wear and when somebody asked me if I saw what the photographers said I was genuinely so baffled. And when I saw the videos I straight up cried ☹️ they didn’t deserve that treatment at ALL and even though I’m not surprised in the least by the shitty treatment kpop idols have historically gotten when they come to the states, seeing it happen at the met gala is like a new low. This is exactly why I’m so against westernizing kpop music and idols, because the west doesn’t deserve to have kpop idols cater to their culture (or lack thereof) when they can’t even have the basic decency to be polite to them. Why should skz have listened to a single WORD those photographers were ordering them to do when they were also making covid jokes and speaking Japanese to them……

I remember when I saw BTS in LA the staff and security were openly saying SO much racist stuff about them and all of us in line were so fucking angry that these are the people who are supposed to be hosting them at these venues. Nothing has changed and nothing ever will as long as we uphold such racist and discriminative rhetoric.

My poor skz :( the Met didn’t deserve them. I hope they know the shitty paparazzi don’t represent US stays and we love them so so much. I hope they see that they’re so fucking appreciated when they come back here for tour

[straylaughs]

wasn't gonna talk about the met gala but oh! racist white photographers ridiculing skz was actually not on my bingo card