Actress Rachel Zegler triggered serious concern during her Met Gala appearance, where her dramatic poses quickly drew attention.
Held on Monday (May 4) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the soirée celebrates fashion and raises funds for the museum’s Costume Institute.
Each year, a theme and dress code are established by organizers, which celebrities are expected to follow. For the latest edition, the theme was “Costume Art,” and the dress code was “Fashion is Art.”
Highlights
- Rachel Zegler's Met Gala appearance featured a blindfolded look inspired by a famous painting.
- Social media users expressed concern over Rachel's "strange" mannerisms on the Met steps, fueling health speculations.
- Critics said her theatrical poses seemed too performative, while some defended them as key to her artistic look.
Image credits: rachelzegler/Instagram
Rachel, known for playing Snow White in the Disney remake and Evita in the famous musical, wore a white dress and blindfold inspired by the painting The Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Paul Delaroche.
However, many netizens weren't focused on her look, but rather on her “strange” mannerisms on the iconic Met steps.
In videos that have gone viral on X and Reddit, the actress can be seen opening her mouth in a way that was interpreted as a cry for help.
“That jaw suggests some form of powdery participation in her limo,” one user claimed, while another said, “Oh wow. You'd thinks she'd wait til she gets inside at least.”
Image credits: OliLondonTV/X
A third wrote, “What is actually happening😭😭 I love her but I’m concerned.”
Meanwhile, others were less concerned, simply commenting that the poses were too theatrical—even for the Met Gala red carpet.
“Rachel is also super try-hard. This was her BIG moment. She had to do what she could to perform. So ya,” read one comment. “She’s cute and is great as a performer but this wasn’t it. So over the top.”
“In the least mean way possible I feel like she's always trying aggressively hard in interviews and red carpets and it just looks so odd,” someone else agreed.
The 25-year-old’s mannerisms left fans worried and sparked speculation about possible health issues
Image credits: Walt Disney Studios
The fan said they didn’t think Rachel was under the influence, adding that she appeared to be “fully in control” in the videos and that her mannerisms looked like “some attempt at posing that she thinks looks super cool.”
Another observer said there was nothing new or alarming about Rachel’s mannerisms, noting that she has been “doing that jaw thing since Snow White” and that her expressive poses helped bring her artistic concept to life.
Image credits: rachelzegler/Instagram
Rachel, who worked with stylist Sarah Slutsky, tackled the “Fashion is Art” theme by dressing as Lady Jane Grey being led to the executioner’s block after reigning over England as queen for only nine days before Mary Tudor claimed the throne.
The 25-year-old rose to stardom after playing María in Steven Spielberg's adaptation of the musical West Side Story and Snow White in Disney’s live-action remake, the latter of which was marred by controversy.
In addition to the film facing negative reviews, many Disney fans took issue with the casting of a Latina actress in a role described as having skin “as white as snow” and called the company “woke.”
Rachel is known for West Side Story, Snow White, and Evita
Image credits: rachelzegler/Instagram
Rachel also faced backlash for her comments about the original 1937 film, which she labeled “weird” and “extremely dated.”
“There’s a big focus [in the original] on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird! So we didn’t do that this time,” she said in 2022.
Jonah Platt, the son of the film’s producer Marc Platt, slammed Rachel in a since-deleted Instagram comment, saying she lacked “adult responsibility” and that her actions “clearly hurt the film’s box office.”
Speaking with Variety, the actress responded to the criticism stemming from her comments about the original film, clarifying that she doesn’t believe Snow White’s love story with the prince is outdated.
“I believe that women can do anything. But I also believe that they can do everything,” she stressed.
“I would never want to box someone in and say, ‘If you want love, then you can’t work.’ Or ‘If you want to work, then you can’t have a family.’ It’s not true. It’s never been true.”
Image credits: rachelzegler/Instagram
Following the Snow White controversy, Rachel received positive reviews for her performance in the revival of Evita in the West End production of the famous musical at the London Palladium, directed by Jamie Lloyd.
The award-winning revival will head to Broadway in spring 2027.