Kylie Jenner‘s Instagram photos from the 2026 MET Gala looked noticeably different from her red carpet shots on Getty, prompting the question: Did the reality TV star and beauty mogul contradict her 2023 statement about heavily editing her pictures?
Kylie, who made her ninth appearance at the MET Gala this year, wore a custom Schiaparelli gown featuring a n*de corset with faux ni**les and a sculptural skirt that appeared to slip away from her body. She also debuted bleached eyebrows for fashion’s biggest night.
The Khy and Kylie Cosmetics founder shared a slew of photos showcasing her MET Gala look on her Instagram. Kylie also included a particularly glamorous selfie in the carousel post, which she also posted to her Stories.
This led some online observers to believe that The Kardashians star shared more flattering images of herself on social media than those on Getty, which captured her on the red carpet in poor lighting and unflattering camera angles.
Kylie Jenner arrives at the Met Gala pic.twitter.com/IacEhgkvv7
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) May 4, 2026
However, it is most likely that she strategically chose photos taken in better lighting and at appealing angles that highlighted her look and features, rather than airbrushing or heavily editing them.
In 2023, she expressed her thoughts on the influence celebrities have on young people, particularly when sharing edited and photoshopped images online.
“I just feel like we have huge influence and like what are we doing with that power?” Jenner said in an episode of Hulu’s The Kardashians.
“I just see so many young girls on the internet now fully editing [their pictures]. Like, the editing!” she added. “I went through that stage too. I feel like I’m in a better place. But other people can instill insecurities in you.”
That said, Hugh Jackman’s new girlfriend and Broadway star, Sutton Foster, appears to have taken a subtle dig at Jenner when she posted her own selfie on Instagram.
Foster, who debuted with Jackman at the MET Gala, shared a selfie on Instagram stories on Wednesday, flaunting a no-makeup look. She closed her eyes and sported a big smile in the picture, which she captioned,” ‘Because filters don’t follow you around in life.”
The theme for the 2026 MET Gala was “Costume Art,” while the formal dress code was “Fashion is Art.” While Kylie Jenner’s interpretation of the theme was a hit for many of her fans, others opined that the look did not really land.
Her Schiaparelli gown featured a butter-duck satin skirt embroidered with over 2,000 satin-stitch balls, 10,000 natural baroque pearls, and more than 7,000 painted pearlescent fish scales, reported PEOPLE. Roughly 11,000 hours of embroidery work reportedly went into creating the look.
Jenner accessorized with an antique silver necklace with rhinestones, pearls, and small hand-sculpted bird heads. She also wore matching earrings in warm silver, decorated with pearls and crystal stones.
She completed her look with soft curls. “It feels like it’s unraveling in a really intentional way,” celebrity hairstylist Iggy Rosales told Vogue, speaking about Jenner’s hair at the event.
