"The category was not quiceañera" — Azealia Banks takes a dig at Shakira's Met Gala 2025 gown

Azealia Banks was seemingly left unimpressed with Shakira's attire for the 2025 Met Gala after the singer took the fundraising fashion event's carpet in a baby pink gown with a voluminous train cascading behind her.

For context, the annual couture event was held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on May 5, 2025, with this year's theme being “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" to support the Met's spring exhibition this year.

Amid the event, Azealia Banks took to X to express her disapproval of Shakira's outfit, claiming it seemed more suitable for a quinceañera than the Met Gala's theme.

"Shakira I love you down but the category was not quiceañera."

Designed by Prabal Gurung, Shakira's dress highlighted the singer's silhouette, with wavy cut on either side that gave her an hourglass shape. Gurung accompanied her on the carpet, adjusting her gown for the picture-perfect look.

The baby pink ensemble was paired with sheer black polka-dotted gloves and pink wrist cuffs, a diamond necklace featuring a pink teardrop pendant in the middle and the singer's signature blonde curls.

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Shakira was sewn into her Met Gala outfit

The annual Met Gala is a star-studded affair, and this year was no different as several celebrities, including Chappell Roan, Zendaya and Cardi B, to name a few, walked up the carpet-lined Met stairs. This year's theme was focused on Black dandyism, with A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton and Anna Wintour as co-chairs and LeBron James as honorary chair.

Shakira was one of the many singers who walked the Met Gala carpet, wearing a baby pink gown with a trailing train. According to People Magazine, a behind-the-scenes video by Nicole Scherzinger showed the Hips Don't Lie singer being sewn into her outfit on the way to the venue.

The clip, posted to Scherzinger's Instagram story, saw the singer inside a limousine with other celebrities like actress Tessa Thompson. Scherzinger, filming the video, is heard saying, “This is the behind the scenes that people don’t see," as someone fixes Shakira's outfit at the back. The Colombian singer jokingly complains about how she is "suffering," with Scherzinger saying:

“Poor Shakira. She just said, ‘Ow!’ ‘Cause the needle.”

This is Shakira's second consecutive appearance at the fundraising event after her 2024 debut. The singer had worn a red Carolina Herrera flamenco-style gown for the “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" theme last year. The dress had a thigh high slit, and ruffles that started from the sleeves and extended around her waist, along with red train that draped around her.

The outfit was paired with matching red stilettos and a studded necklace. In an interview with Vogue in May 2024, stylist Nicolas Bru said her team was intent on achieving "the perfect monochromatic look," going so far as to re-dye the heels when they came out in the wrong shade.

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The 2025 Met Gala shone a spotlight on menswear with the theme “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” and dress code “Tailored for You.” The attendees' interpretation of the theme brought a new outlook on menswear, from Zendaya's all-white three-piece Louis Vuitton suit paired with a wide-brimmed hat to Chappell Roan's hot pink patchwork suit with flared pants and matching pink boots.

Meanwhile, Janelle Monáe (a Met Gala committee member) attended the event with a suit-within-a-suit look. The singer and actress showed up in a boxy outerwear printed to resemble a suit, which she removed to unveil a red and black blazer and matching skirt. The outfit was paired with a monocle and bowler hat.

Other attendees included Rihanna (who revealed that she was expecting her third child with A$AP Rocky), Lupita Nyong'o, Bad Bunny, Ayo Edebiri and Jodie Turner-Smith, among others.