On Monday evening (May 4), dozens of celebrities graced the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in haute couture outfits and elaborate makeup looks to celebrate art and fashion.
Stars then posted their seemingly flawless, show-stopping looks on social media, thanking their stylists or explaining the inspiration behind their designs.
But unedited pictures captured by professional photographers at the event tell another side of the story. Their work shows how many stars added filters to their Instagram posts, smoothing their skin or giving their photos a bronze goddess look.
Fans have been calling out the noticeable differences online, blasting celebrities for editing their pictures despite wearing heavy makeup and accusing them of setting unrealistic beauty standards.
Here are some of the most viral “Instagram vs. reality” contrasts from the 2026 Met Gala.
#1 Rihanna: when you move too fast and the filter comes off
Image source: Getty/Matt Winkelmeyer/MG26 /, X/phonywizard
#2 Beyoncé: from Queen Bey to “Queen of Photoshop”
Though there’s no denying that Queen Bey is stunning, her Instagram pictures make her skin look unrealistically smooth and matte, with flushed cheeks that seem straight out of a cartoon.
“The facetune is insane,” one user on X said of the Grammy winner, who was one of the co-chairs at the event.
Someone else called Beyoncé the “Queen of Photoshop.”
“The pictures look NOTHING like the ones she posted on IG!” a separate critic commented.
Beyoncé, who attended the fashion gala with her daughter Blue Ivy, chose longtime collaborator, designer Olivier Rousteing, for her bejeweled ensemble.
Image source: Instagram/beyonce, Getty/Mike Coppola
#3 Kylie Jenner: ultra-smooth skin and studio-like glow vs. unfiltered reality
Image source: Instagram/kyliejenner, Getty/Kevin Mazur/MG26
#4 Kris Jenner: 20 years erased with just one click
Image source: Instagram/krisjenner, Getty/Dimitrios Kambouris
#5 Doja Cat: filtered fantasy vs. flash-lit photo
Image source: Instagram/dojacat, Getty/Matt Winkelmeyer/MG26
#6 Lauren Sánchez: poreless perfection vs. natural up close
Image source: Instagram/laurensanchezbezos, Getty/Theo Wargo
#7 Manish Malhotra: how to go from 60 to 50
Image source: Instagram/manishmalhotra05, Getty/Jamie McCarthy
#8 Charli XCX: too “Brat” to keep it real
Image source: Instagram/charli_xcx, Getty/Matt Winkelmeyer/MG26
#9 Sam Smith: I Know I’m Not the Only One…with a different face on IG
Image source: Instagram/samsmith, Getty/Michael Buckner
#10 Katy Perry: a perfect AI illusion
Disclaimer: the photo on the left was AI-generated.
Katy opted for a white Stella McCartney gown and a futuristic mask, a look that poked fun at the AI-generated images of her attending previous Met Galas, as per Vogue.
She also wore gloves with six fingers, seemingly referencing the imperfect AI images often seen on social media.
Continuing with the AI theme, the Firework hitmaker took to her Instagram Stories after the event to share an AI-generated image of herself without the mask.
According to a press release, the headpiece was “designed to be a literal and symbolic reflection that invites the observer to consider that their perception of others can mirror their own internal world, and conversely mask truth.”
Image source: Instagram/salikatycat, Getty/Dimitrios Kambouris
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