New York City is famous for many things—Broadway, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building—but none are quite so famous, or at least infamous, as its rats and roaches.
So it was probably only a matter of time before one of the latter stole the show at the annual Met Gala, arguably the city's most high-profile event all year.
It turned out 2023 was the roach's time to shine at Anna Wintour's yearly shindig.
During this year's Met Gala red carpet, it wasn't Rihanna or a Kardashian stealing the show, but rather a cockroach who skittered up the red carpet as flashbulbs exploded all over the place.
And, naturally, social media had an absolute field day.
The Met Gala is all about making as big a splash as possible.
The celebrities in attendance certainly followed suit this year, doing controversial late designer Karl Lagerfeld proud with ostentatious sartorial tributes to the fashion icon that were, as always, to die for.
Big names like Gisele Bundchen, Michaela Coel, Ava Max, Pedro Pascal and Hollywood legends like Glennn Close all made huge splashes in over-the-top looks that had the in-person audience and social media alike going cuckoo for the spectacle.
But in the end, nobody is likely to even remember a single one of those people.
Who cares about Kim Kardashian recreating her pearl-dripping Playboy look when there's a cockroach the size of a house cat sashaying down the Met Gala red carpet?
Not even Anna Wintour hard-launching her new relationship with British actor Bill Nighy on the red carpet was any competition for the Met Gala cockroach.
Suffice to say, a star was born—and then burned out as quickly as it came.
Yes, as you might guess, no sooner did it make its red carpet debut than the cockroach was put to an untimely end.
And if that isn't an apt metaphor for the fickle nature of the fashion and entertainment industries then truly what is?
But while the Met Gala's star may have shone only briefly, its impact will live on forever—in meme form.
Let this be a lesson to us all that it's not the length of our lives that matters but the impact we make while living them.
Thank you, Met Gala Roach, and may you rest in peace.
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