Lena Waithe in a queer cape at the Met Gala is the superhero the world needs.
Things Lena Waithe did? That.
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Lena Waithe, Queen of All Things Queer at the 2018 Met Gala.
Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images.
The Met Gala has become known for its jaw-dropping, awe-inducing displays of revolutionary fashion. So naturally, actress and screenwriter Lena Waithe used it as an opportunity to bring the whole house down.
In an incredible, show-stopping outfit, Waithe donned a pride flag cape, reminding the 2018 Met Gala attendees not only that she's queer, but that she's darn proud of it.
"This is my skin. I'm proud to be in it," Waithe said at the event.
And people were loving it.
The gala was filled with incredible looks from the likes of Rihanna, Amal Clooney, and Chadwick Boseman.
But when Waithe swooped into the building in a rainbow cape sewn to her well-fitted suit, she immediately became the queer superhero we all need.Her unique style and personality shone through at every step across the red carpet.
Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images.
Given the event's theme, "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination," Waithe's outfit is particularly important. The Catholic Church's fraught history with the LGBTQ community is well known. From denouncing gay priests to condemning gay congregations to overwhelmingly opposing marriage equality, the church hasn't historically been accepting.
The rainbow cape provides a huge counternarrative to this. She is proud of who she is.
Waithe's outfit is a powerful example of what's at the heart of the arts — being yourself.
Grateful to my whole crew for making this moment so unforgettable. #metgala
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The actress and screenwriter is no stranger to being unapologetic about her queer identity. Her hit "Master of None" episode "Thanksgiving" launched her to mainstream stardom thanks to the honest, raw depiction of coming out in a black household.
Since that episode, Waithe has gone on to create her own television show — "The Chi" — work with top filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, and guest-star in popular shows. She's now engaged to the love of her life, film industry executive Alana Mayo.
Alana Mayo and Lena Waithe. Photo by Sean Zanni/Getty Images.
All the while, Waithe has put her black queerness first, emphasizing the importance of public representation for other queer kids and people around the country. She's spoken openly about the importance of living your truth and not letting others tell your story for you.
"I am tired of white folks telling my stories," Waithe said in her Vanity Fair interview. "We gotta tell our shit. Can't no one tell a black story, particularly a queer story, the way I can, because I see the God in us."
Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images.
Waithe's incredible outfit is part of the message she wants to keep clear: She's here, she's queer, and she's not going anywhere.