Elliot Page stuns at Met Gala with powerful Oscar Wilde inspired symbol
Elliot Page stunned at the Met Gala. (Mike Coppola/Getty)
Elliot Page sent fans into a frenzy when he turned up at the Met Gala sporting a powerful queer symbol inspired by Oscar Wilde.
The actor turned heads at the star-studded event wearing a sleek black Balenciago suit. It was his first red carpet appearance since he came out as trans in December 2020.
Elliot Page looked calm and confident as he breezed through the event, rubbing shoulders with stars such as Rose Leslie, Kit Harrington and Josh O’Connor.
But it was the green rose on his lapel that quickly captured the hearts of queer fans at home. Twitter was quickly flooded with pictures of Oscar Wilde, the gay playwright who was convicted of “gross indecency” by an English court over his relationship with another man.
Fans were quick to draw parallels between Page and Wilde, with many sharing a famous picture of Wilde sporting a green carnation on his lapel.
During Wilde’s lifetime, the green carnation became a symbol for queer men after the acclaimed writer asked his friends to wear it to the opening night of one of his shows.
Many rushed to Twitter to heap praise on Page for wearing the powerful symbol at the Met Gala.
@TheElliotPage with an Oscar Wilde homage 💚 #MetGala2021 pic.twitter.com/HufGdblM4X
— Quin Cunningham (@rococokaren) September 13, 2021
elliot page as oscar wilde. i’m literally crying #MetGala pic.twitter.com/Y3829Gti7r— cillian ⧗ SAW SABRINA (@sabrinastimes) September 14, 2021
https://twitter.com/quasicube/status/1437664048720404486
https://twitter.com/quinn_lawlor/status/1437558315551133697
Elliot Page wears a green flower on his lapel at the #MetGala!
The green carnation became a queer symbol due to Oscar Wilde in 1892.
Wilde asked his friends to wear the flowers to opening night of one of his shows and the flower then continued to be an emblem for queer men. pic.twitter.com/T7POx4kV2w— Affinity Magazine (@TheAffinityMag) September 14, 2021
Elliot Page ‘never recognised’ himself on the red carpet before his transition
Elliot Page’s incredible Met Gala appearance comes just months after he opened up about the painful reality of walking red carpets prior to his transition.
Speaking to Oprah Winfrey in May, Page said wearing feminine clothing became “detrimental” to his mental health while he was on a worldwide tour to promote Inception in 2010.
“There was so much press, so many premieres all around the world and I was wearing dresses and heels to pretty much every single event,” Page said.
He later collapsed at an afterparty for the film – an incident he said coincided with a panic attack that was brought on by wearing the wrong clothes.
Speaking to TIME magazine in March, Page said he “never recognised” himself on the red carpet prior to his transition.
“For a long time I could not even look at a photo of myself,” he said.
Page has been flourishing ever since he opened up about his gender identity. He has shared powerful snaps displaying his trans euphoria, including an incredible photo showing him wearing swimming trunks for the first time.
He has also used his platform to repeatedly speak out on behalf of trans youth in America, who are currently facing a wave of legislative attacks from state assemblies.
