Pro athletes are always striving to stand out for their performances in a good way.
For New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, the 2018 Met Gala was just not one of those moments.
The Met Gala is an annual fundraising event that benefits the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City. It marks the grand opening of the institute’s yearly fashion exhibit, and guests are expected to dress according to a specific theme.
This year's theme was “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.”
Rihanna looked positively pope-ish in Maison Margiela.
Rihanna going full Pope on the 2018 Met Gala red carpet is a religious experience https://t.co/lWekGXJePo pic.twitter.com/VE70Iq3Ojy
— TIME (@TIME) May 8, 2018
Zendaya photographed by Landon Nordeman at the 2018 Met Gala | The New York Times pic.twitter.com/WOtkUGrfjJ
— Zendaya Media (@ZendayaMedia) May 8, 2018
Migos stayed true to their hit song by wearing head-to-toe Versace.
MIGOS rocking Versace for the #MetGala 2018 pic.twitter.com/MwfZFgdX2H
— Outlander (@StreetFashion01) May 7, 2018
En route to the gala, model Gisele Bündchen looked stunning, although her husband seemed a little uncomfortable out of a jersey and shoulder pads.
Tom Brady is every boyfriend/husband ever (via @giseleofficial)
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) May 8, 2018
SOUND UP pic.twitter.com/jvUtImOneA
Brady’s black jacket with golden scrollwork embroidered on his lapels was a hit with the folks at E!’s “Fashion Police.”
Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen are in the house. #MetGala https://t.co/l3o1qAoQyJ pic.twitter.com/TKp3fIhk4x
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) May 8, 2018
But sports fans everywhere piled on the Patriots Super Bowl champ, calling him everything from a “Vegas magician” to the “the accountant for a mariachi band.”
tom brady looks like he's about to ask a room full of people to suspend their disbelief and believe in the power of magic just for one night pic.twitter.com/VO98UB5gyq
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) May 7, 2018
Here, Gisele Bündchen wearing Alexander McQueen and Tom Brady wearing Steven Seagal pic.twitter.com/qxM21gawPF
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) May 7, 2018
#MetGala
— Jesse Peel (@JPSportsRuckus) May 8, 2018
Tom Brady looks like an alternate villain in "Blades of Glory" pic.twitter.com/qd28hClQil
Tom Brady almost didn't come to the gala because one of his tigers is sick pic.twitter.com/bC0Qk5O5Zw
— StoleMyLookHat (@Popehat) May 8, 2018
Tom Brady’s outfit at the Met. Dude looks like a fucking Vegas magician.
— Lee Noll (@FireMarshalLee) May 8, 2018
Well, he does make the Jets disappear every year.
Tom Brady look like the accountant for a mariachi band pic.twitter.com/2wu4idsXLH
— Clue Heywood (@ClueHeywood) May 8, 2018
I feel like Tom Brady is missing a white cat or shaved cat in this photo. pic.twitter.com/CZ00kjvtxe
— Raul Martinez NBC10 Boston (@RaulNBCBoston) May 8, 2018
Tom Brady is dressed like Blade is about to slay him and the rest of the Vampire High Council. #MetGala pic.twitter.com/dmOEN4idvu
— Adam 'Stuhlbarg' Murray (@Atom_Murray) May 8, 2018
Tom Brady brought his offensive line to the Met Gala and We. Are. Here for it. pic.twitter.com/VRo39SZzqI
— Wario Lemieux (@alex_navarro) May 8, 2018
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Female shopper looking for help
21 products that are gaslighting us into thinking they’re essential when they’re not
Some things in life are actually necessary—clean water, decent healthcare, basic human decency. But then there are the things that feel like they’re gaslighting us. The things we’re told we can’t live without, even though we survived just fine before they existed. Things like "smart" fridges, lawn fertilizer services, and yes—whole body deodorant.
Recently, our sister-site Upworthy asked their Facebook audience the question: What's a product or service that feels like it's gaslighting all of us into thinking it's necessary? More than 8,000 responses poured in. The answers were passionate, funny, and surprisingly unified.
Here are 21 products, services, and systems people called out for pretending to be essential—when they might actually be optional, overpriced, or flat-out invented.
1. Whole body deodorant
"Take a shower," said Shannon H.
“How did we ever manage all those years without it!! 😂😵💫” added Karen R.
Others noted it may help people with medical conditions—but for the average person, it's definitely a marketing creation.
2. Health insurance
It topped the list. Erica L. explained: “My doctor prescribes, the pharmacist issues meds, nurses care for people, surgeons do surgery—Health Insurance stands between health care and patients and says no, exclusively on whether they think it’s financially effective to treat you.”
Important note: Health insurance can provide life-saving access for many—but what people are frustrated by here is the profit-first system, not care itself.
3. The wedding industry
Multiple people slammed the high cost of modern weddings.
JoElla B. put it plainly: “We spend too much time and money planning one day, and not enough thought on how to blend two lives in a mutually beneficial one.”
Others called out expensive dresses, venues, and pressure to perform for social media.
4. Bottled water
Carole D. said: “Water in plastic bottles! Get a cup!”
While bottled water has value in emergencies, it’s often just filtered tap water—sold for profit in plastic.
5. Baby product overload
“Most baby products,” wrote Kelli O. “They really aren’t as needy and complicated as companies want us to think.”
6. Fabric softener
“It’s bad for clothes, bad for the Earth, bad for the wallet, and totally unnecessary,” said Gail H.
Some experts agree—many softeners contain chemicals that can reduce fabric lifespan and irritate skin.
7. Smart appliances
“Adding ‘phone controls’ to every appliance instead of making them last as long as they used to,” wrote Sherry S.
When your fridge needs a software update, something’s gone off the rails.
8. Makeup and anti-aging products
“Anything anti-aging,” said Melissa T., “Please just let me age into the gargoyle I was meant to become.”
Others questioned products designed to “fix” eyelashes, eyebrows, pores, and graying hair.
April S. added, “Products that women are convinced they MUST have in order to be ‘beautiful’ and therefore ‘loved.’”
9. Cosmetic surgery
Ron P. called out the industry as a whole. And while body autonomy matters, many commenters questioned whether insecurities are being commodified and sold back to us.
10. Ticketmaster and “convenience fees”
“Let’s go back to waiting in line at a record store,” wrote Nicole C.
Zaida B. added: “Convenience fee for online purchases—then charging $10 more at the actual event.”
11. Engagement rings
James P. didn’t mince words: “Engagement rings.”
The diamond industry has long been criticized for manufactured scarcity and marketing-fueled necessity.
12. Lawn chemicals and services
“Plant native grasses and you don’t have the pests or need for constant watering,” wrote Jamie B.
Environmental groups have raised similar concerns over runoff and unnecessary pesticide use.
13. AI and generative tech
“This stuff squeezes the lifeblood and individuality out of the human experience,” said Teresa L.
Saskia D. and others echoed skepticism about its necessity, even as many of us are being pushed to use it.
14. Funeral services
Amy W. shared: “My parents both have already paid to have themselves cremated and are very adamant that they do not want anything big done for them. In their words, ‘I won’t care, I’m dead.’”
Of course, some families find comfort in tradition—but the cost and pressure can feel overwhelming and predatory.
15. Rinse and repeat
Amy D. nailed it: “It’s just to sell more. Not even sure you need it at all.”
16. Credit Card Surcharges
Shawn S. took aim at the extra fees popping up at checkout: “That is the cost of doing business and shouldn’t be the burden of the purchaser.”
Many questioned why customers are increasingly being asked to pay extra simply for the convenience of using a card.
17. Constant phone upgrades
“Apple are notorious for releasing the same shit every year,” said Steph S.
Diana H. added, “Needing to upgrade our phones so frequently.”
Built-in obsolescence and marketing cycles drive most of the demand.
18. Vitamins and supplements
“If I took every supplement they say I NEED I wouldn’t need food. Nor could I afford it,” said Tausha L.
19. Fake pockets on women’s pants
Jessica W. said, “I have to buy men’s pants for work because women’s pants would just get torn up too fast!”
Form over function, and then they charge more for it.
20. Disposable everything
“The ‘convenience’ of disposable everything,” said Rick R.
It’s killing the planet—and draining wallets.
21. Tipping
“I’m sick of supplementing for corporations that refuse to pay a living wage,” wrote Susan V.
Tipping culture has evolved into something far removed from its original intent, and for many, it now feels like a burden shifted onto the customer.
The bigger picture
People aren’t saying all these things should vanish tomorrow. But when we start seeing convenience sold as necessity, and insecurity turned into billion-dollar markets, it's worth asking: who benefits from all of this?
And more importantly—who pays?
This article originally appeared earlier this year.