Fashion’s biggest night is almost upon us!
On the evening of May 4, some of the world’s biggest names will descend upon the iconic steps of New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art for the annual Met Gala.
Well, not all of them at least. Several of the most prominent figures in Hollywood have skipped the yearly fashion extravaganza, with some having been invited but declining, while others are seemingly “banned.”
One of those in the former camp is actress Jennifer Aniston, who, despite her A-list status, has never actually attended the event despite receiving the coveted invite.
“It overwhelms me”
She joins an elusive list that includes the likes of Mariah Carey, Ryan Gosling, Adele and Meghan Markle, although in Jennifer’s case specifically, it comes down to the mental stress of putting on the best show possible.
She told Glamour just last year: “I have [been invited], but I don’t go. It overwhelms me. It’s the getting ready, the putting on the dress. I’m a ‘jeans and flip-flops and tank top’ kind of girl.”
“I love dressing up too, but for me it’s a mental game of…’Let’s get dressed up, put on a fancy dress, makeup, get your hair all ‘purdy’ and go sit in a big room with your peers’,” she continued. “[And yes,] everyone’s there to celebrate each other and have some fun, but I get nervous.”
© Getty ImagesThe stress of the public eye
It’s that same sentiment that extends to just being in the public eye in general, which Jennifer explained with: “I even get a little anxious about public speaking, especially over the years of having your words twisted and taken out of context.”
“So I find myself almost hall-monitoring myself in a weird way. In the past, journalism used to be gnarly and they wanted to just get you and find something that they can then run forever. But whatever. You get to a place in life where none of it really matters at the end of the day.”
In the same interview, she touched on a conversation during The Morning Show in which her character comments on the concept of stressful red carpets in general, saying: “Some people find it like a sport where they build you up and then they love to tear you down.”
© Getty Images“What’s the reason why people do it? Who knows? But I just try as best I can [to tune it out] because it doesn’t do you any good.”
Reese Witherspoon, the Met Gala, and fashion
Someone who has been to the Met Gala multiple times is Jennifer’s close friend and Morning Show co-star Reese Witherspoon. She made her debut at the event in 2014 and last attended in 2017.
Reese, who also has her own lifestyle brand in Draper James, once told InStyle of her own fashion philosophy: “When it comes to getting dressed, there’s so much noise in the world; I just want to streamline it and make it easy for people.”
© Getty Images“As women, we have other things to concentrate on,” she continued. “Additionally, in my 30s, I learned to accept my body for what it is. This is what looks good on it. It will never look good in that thing over there with all the fabric and the bows and the ruffles. It just won’t.”
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