Fashion

This Is Why Taylor Swift Is Hosting The Met Gala

by Jessica Thomas

With the 2016 Met Gala quickly approaching, everyone and their mother is speculating about what (and who) this year's co-host, Taylor Swift will be wearing. Although I don't think anyone will actually find out before the event (those details are held under lock and key), there's no doubt Swift is going to look fabulous. Given how many celebrities must be vying for the job, I had to wonder: Why is Taylor Swift hosting the Met Gala?

Past co-hosts have been totally across the board. Of course Beyoncé hosted in 2013, and Jennifer Lawrence in 2015, but other past hosts have typically been more involved in the fashion world than Hollywood (think Aerin Lauder, or Salma Hayek and her husband Francois-Henri Pinault, who runs luxury conglomerate Kering). Luckily for us, Vogue editor and event chair Anna Wintour explained her choice for this year's ceremony. In Vogue 's weekly podcast, which came out Monday, Wintour discussed choosing Swift for the role. According to Wintour, when she called Swift to offer her the co-chair position, "she called me back within minutes and said she would be thrilled."

And, Wintour's reason for choosing Swift was super savvy. "Obviously her connection to technology was one of the reasons that we wanted to see if she would care to be involved," Wintour said in the podcast. "But I also think that she is an icon to many young girls all over the world and we want a different audience to come to this exhibition." The exhibition the gala is honoring this year is "Manus X Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology," and Tay basically has technology figured out. I mean, she's got 75 million Instagram followers, after all.

Apple is also sponsoring the event, so Wintour is counting on its mass appeal with millennials, along with Swift, to draw a younger audience to the Met and the new exhibit. Makes sense, right? And with Swift there, you know her whole #squad will show up for the event and draw attention to it across social media platforms. It's pretty wise marketing on Wintour's part, and I for one can't wait to see what Swift shows up in on the red carpet.

Neilson Barnard/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

It may never top her amazing bow-adorned dress from the 2014 gala, but I'm sure she'll try.