An Ode To The Best Met Gala Bathroom Selfies Of All Time

As the 2021 Met Gala returns, we look back on what really matters — the bathroom selfies. 

Whether or not you follow fashion, if you're a person who scrolls through the internet, you've likely encountered a bathroom selfie from the Met Gala (you just might not have known where it came from, or why all those A-listers were in couture gowns in a bathroom together). But if you are someone who looks forward to the first Monday in May with the same level of obsession as us, you probably have the iconic (be it grainy) image of Armie Hammer vaping in the background of a shot intended to catch Dakota Johnson lighting a cigarette in the Met’s tiled bathroom, framed on your nightstand. Either way, you’ve come to the right place: an archive of the best Met Gala bathroom selfies of all time. 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Costume Institute Benefit has a very strict no phone or social media policy. After all, it’s one of the most exclusive parties in fashion. If you’re not on the list, you’re not getting inside — physically or virtually. But there's one aspect to the rule — made popular by none other than social media maven and self-made billionaire Kylie Jenner — that attendees love to disregard: the bathroom selfie. 

The youngest of the Jenner sisters posted her bathroom selfie during the 2017 Rei Kawakubo/Commes des Garçons-themed Met Gala. In it, you’ll find stars like P. Diddy, Paris Jackson, Elizabeth Chambers, and Slick Woods — all huddled together, posing in front of Jenner’s iPhone. Other leaked photos from the same night feature Bella Hadid kneeling on the ground in a see-through Alexander Wang bodysuit and pumps and blowing out smoke from her cigarette; Alexander Wang making the duck face for a selfie with Zoë Kravitz; and Emily Ratajkowski kissing the cheek of designer Prabal Gurung. 

But the bathroom was a popular photo locale at the Met Gala long before Kylie posted her infamous shot on Instagram in 2017. In fact, photos taken by photographer Cass Bird were released the year before, at the Manus x Machina Met Gala, which showcase the likes of Lily Rose Depp in all-white Chanel, Hailey Bieber (then Baldwin) in silver and black striped sequins, and Lily Aldridge with what looks like bleached eyebrows. Casual. 

So while tonight’s events have been cancelled, there’s no reason why we can’t still enjoy the first Monday in May in style — bathroom style, that is. Scroll down for some of our favourite bathroom selfies from Met Galas past. Trust us, you won’t regret it.