Is Attending the Met Gala Sign of Narcissistic Personality Disorder?
Some psychiatrists think it should be a symptom listed by the American Psychiatric Association
The May 6 Met Gala not only has attracted hundreds of celebrities and the social elite, it also has gotten the attention of some psychiatrists.
Rumor is they are considering diagnosing those who attend the Met Gala as narcissists, given that they spend large sums of money (a $75,000 entry fee) and wear fancy clothes at an event where they are likely to garner attention in traditional and social media. According to the National Institutes of Health, the American Psychiatric Association defines narcissism as behavior characterized by “a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy, with interpersonal entitlement, exploitativeness, arrogance, and envy. Other notable phenotypic characteristics include interpersonal distancing and avoidance, insecurity and vulnerability, hypersensitivity, aggressivity, and proneness to shame. In its Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel, the APA says those diagnosed as narcissistic (DSM-5) must meet four of the following criteria:
1: Grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievement and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements);
2: Fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love;
3: Belief in being “special” and unique and can only be understood by, or should be associated with, other special or high-status people (or institutions);
4: Requires excessive admiration;
5: Sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations;
6: Interpersonally exploitive, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his/her own ends;
7: Lacks empathy; is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others;
8: Envious of others or believes that others are envious of him/her;
9: Arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes.
The Met Gala, which began in 1948, is an event held on the first Monday of May that raises money for New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. It has been overseen by Anna Wintour, Vogue editor and Global Chief Content Officer for Condé Nast, for 25 years. Wintour chooses those who are invited to attend the event, which is known as “fashion’s biggest night.” The event attracts 650 to 700 people each year.
The attendees enter the event by walking on the red carpet up the stairs as photographers and videographers share their images with the world. Former President Donald Trump had attended the Met Gala since the 1980s and in 2004 proposed to Melania there with a 15-carat diamond ring said to be worth $1.5 million. In 2017, Wintour said Trump would never be invited back.
While the red carpet photos and videos flood the world, what happens inside the Met Gala is supposed to be private. However, some of those captured on camera on the red carpet apparently find that attention insufficient (DSM-5 characteristic №4) and have been known to take selfies in the bathrooms or the elevator.
What would be the impact of labeling attendance at the Met Gala as narcissism? That might make it easier for attendees to qualify for insurance coverage for psychiatry visits or medication, although it’s likely that those who attend can easily afford that. Such a diagnosis might also develop empathy for the attendees among those campaigning to “de-shame” mental illness. Met Gala insiders don’t think such a diagnosis is likely to reduce attendance.
