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During Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, there was a glittering event specifically to honor groundbreaking members of the AAPI community — and it was a sight to see. On May 21, the Gold House organization held its inaugural Gold Gala. During their first-ever Gold Gala, they celebrated its “A100 List,” honoring 2021’s change-makers like Mindy Kaling, Michelle Yeoh, and Payal Kadakia, to name a few.
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The event took place at the Vibiana in downtown L.A. in collaboration with Facebook’s technology company Meta. Notable stars like Henry Golding, Daniel Dae Kim, Ashley Park, and Auli’i Cravalho arrived looking gorgeous. Like the Met Gala, the Gold Gala had a stunning theme where the honorees wore their personal interpretations of modern Asian culture. Because of this theme, many stars arrived in gowns that supported AAPI designers like áo dài, Veejay Floresca, and Jason Wu.
During the historic event, Kaling’s speech made headlines. Kaling talked about how she makes her realistic AAPI characters in hit shows like The Sex Lives of College Girls, “I like to write about complex and some people label complex women as ‘unlikeable’ because it doesn’t align with their expectations of how a character on TV should be.”
She added per Variety, “Our experience is not a monolith. If I can be a leader of some of that change, that will be the honor of a lifetime. I’m still learning. I make mistakes, but once I know better, I do better.”
Yeoh also delivered a brilliant speech about her characters, and how she uses her career to break stereotypes. “I work to ensure that the women I play are not just relegated to auntie stereotypes or the traditional grandmothers, and that includes [Everything Everywhere All at Once character] Evelyn Wang.”
From Yeoh to TikTok star Bella Poarch, everyone arrived in full glamour. See all the glamorous stars who arrived in style at the Gold Gala below.
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