When British supermodel Cara Delevingne hit the Met Gala red carpet on Monday wearing a Dior vest with the phrase “peg the patriarchy" emblazoned across its bodice, the supermodel's Maria Grazia Chiuri-designed top singlehandedly sparked shock and awe, launching an all-out digital debate over whether the garment's message was powerful or meaninglessly performative.
Dior, Delevingne, and Lora DiCarlo, the sex toy company the model co-owns, have all remained tight-lipped surrounding these serious allegations of theft, yet Matatas says she's hopeful the star will ultimately acknowledge her work. "As a small business, I don't have a lot of resources to defend this, despite owning the trademark," the artist explained. "So, I hope Delevingne sees the value in supporting creators, because it takes nothing away from her outfit to do so."
Purportedly ripping off a small creator, however, is far from the only issue with Delevingne's statement look. The phrase “peg the patriarchy” is perfectly acceptable in an educational environment, accompanied with proper context and a wealth of informative resources about pegging, sex, and sex-positivity, which Matatas offers in spades. Yet broadcasting “Peg the Patriarchy” from the Met Gala steps without a single f---ing scrap of context has some seriously bad implications, including negatively altering the expression's important meaning.
“If someone doesn’t know what this means, you’re gonna have to look it up," the Suicide Squad star told Vogue's red carpet correspondent, Keke Palmer, when asked about the text on her vest. Although Delevingne later added that “it’s about women empowerment, gender equality — it’s a bit like, ‘Stick it to the man,'” her explanation skimps on critical nuance. With this lack of context, several social media critics interpreted the message differently than likely intended, viewing it as spreading the false messages that pegging is bad …
… and even humiliating.
Others took this speculation a step further, arguing that viewing pegging as a punishment – especially when one party does not want to participate – has some Revenge Of The Nerds-level bad implications.
“Pegging is actually a consensual sex act between two partners, not a punishment to be used against cis straight homophobes,” wrote Twitter user @peachflavorjess,who says they're an OnlyFans creator. “There’s a different name for non-consensual penetration.”
So folks, here's to hoping Delevingne and Dior investigate the situation and give credit where credit is due. Allegedly stealing from small creators – especially queer women of color – is never in Vogue.
Top Image: Just Jared on Instagram/Luna Matatas on Instagram
For more internet nonsense, follow Carly on Instagram @HuntressThompson_ on TikTok as @HuntressThompson_, and on Twitter @TennesAnyone.