Cardi B Says She Is ‘Competing With Myself’ at Every Met Gala: ‘I Always Get Anxiety’

Cardi B is her own competition! The rapper opened up about the pressure she faces when trying to bring heat to the Met Gala.  

“Every single time that I go to the Met, it’s fun but, it’s like, I don’t know, like, after my first time going to the Met, I always get anxiety,” the Grammy winner, 30, said in her “Get Ready With Me” video for Vogue ahead of the 2023 soirée on Monday, May 1. “The anxieties just grow and grow and grow.” 

Cardi shared that she tries to outdo herself each year, creating red carpet magic that is better than before. “Maybe because my looks are so spectacular that people just expect every year to be more amazing than the last,” the New York native explained. “It’s so hard because imagine competing with myself. That is sickening.” 

She echoed similar sentiments to Emma Chamberlain on the red carpet. “The anxiety … You know sometimes I be like, ‘I’m not doing the Met Gala next year, I just can’t do it,’ like it’s bad for my health.” Cardi explained to the popular YouTuber, 21, that she has a fear of photographers taking “bad pictures” or learning that her fans didn’t like her outfit.  

At Monday’s ball, the “Up” artist nailed the “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” theme in a black bubble gown by Chenpeng Studio. The velvet design featured a collared shirt — favored by the late designer — underneath a studded corset that flowed into a billowing skirt adorned with protruding roses. Cardi, who was dressed by her longtime stylist Kollin Carter, teamed the look with a black headband and a bouncy silver wig. 

Before gracing the iconic steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Cardi was photographed leaving her hotel in the Big Apple, wearing a plunging pink gown by Miss Sohee. The figure-hugging number was covered in crystals and was equipped with an attached tulle headpiece.

Carter, 33, revealed via Instagram on Monday that the look was an ode to a Chanel bridal couture piece that was unveiled in 2008. After fashion’s biggest night, Cardi slipped into a tweed coat dress for an afterparty. 

At the 2022 Met Gala, Cardi owned the Gilded Glamour-centered fundraiser, which served as part two to the event’s “America: An Anthology of Fashion” theme. She looked statuesque, showing off her curves in a gold gown by Atelier Versace. The dazzling number was made with intricate beading that draped the “I Like It” rapper’s figure. “Gilded is gold — it’s regal,” she told Vogue on the red carpet at the time.