The 2022 Met Gala had several unforgettable moments. Celebrities showed up in their ‘Gilded Age’ finery and while many made headlines for their off-theme outfits, Emma Chamberlain has garnered criticism for wearing Maharaja of Patiala’s diamond choker. Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala commissioned Cartier for the necklace which was allegedly stolen by the British during their occupation of India. Cartier then bought or rather re-purchased the piece at an auction years later. It reportedly is the most expensive necklace made with 2,930 diamonds and a De Beers diamond centrepiece.
Emma wore the choker to the Met Gala where she conducted red carpet interviews and now, netizens are calling her out for it. While some pointed out the blatant show of privilege, others noticed the irony of the event’s theme. Either way, it didn’t go down well. A Twitter user wrote, “So i just found out emma chamberlain wore the maharaja of patiala’s necklace at the met gala… this is wayyy worse than kim wearing marilyn monroe’s dress.”
Calling out the ignorance a user Tweeted, “who was gonna tell me emma chamberlain wore a $30 million necklace from a maharaja of india to the met gala. astronomical privilege to wear something that is historically connected and stolen from india’s history…”
Another wrote, “It is a living testament to the inequality of India’s colonial past. It is a testament to the fact that South Asia and India contributed so much to building modern European tastes but have been completely denied their credit – from the bias cut to art deco to textiles”
In a behind-the-scenes video, Emma Chamberlain talked about the choker saying that it “fits the theme so well because, during the gilded age, it was all about being extravagant. And I have never seen a more extravagant necklace.”
Emma Chamberlain’s isn’t the only incident highlighting just how problematic the Met Gala was. Kim Kardashian wore Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress and revealed that she had been crash-dieting to fit into it. It was later revealed that she did not fit into it after all as the dress remained unzipped at the back.
