{"id":473448,"date":"2026-05-07T18:30:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T18:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/473448\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T18:30:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T18:30:21","slug":"hudson-williams-makeup-artist-aika-flores-urges-people-to-be-kind-after-met-gala-2026-criticism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/473448\/","title":{"rendered":"Hudson Williams&#8217; Makeup Artist Aika Flores Urges People to Be \u2018Kind\u2019 After Met Gala 2026 Criticism"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Theo Wargo<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Hudson Williams&#8217; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teenvogue.com\/collection\/met-gala?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=syndication&amp;mbid=synd_yahoo_rss\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Met Gala 2026;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Met Gala 2026&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Met Gala 2026<\/a> makeup look is the talk of the town, for better and for worse. On Monday, May 4, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/tv\/articles\/heated-rivalry-season-2-heres-151746992.html\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Heated Rivalry;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Heated Rivalry&quot;}\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Heated Rivalry<\/a> star <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/celebrity\/articles\/hudson-williamss-met-gala-2026-000049545.html\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:made his Met Gala debut in an ab-baring custom Balenciaga look;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;made his Met Gala debut in an ab-baring custom Balenciaga look&quot;}\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">made his Met Gala debut in an ab-baring custom Balenciaga look<\/a>, complemented by bold Black Swan-inspired glam, and people have many thoughts about it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In case you missed it, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teenvogue.com\/tag\/hudson-williams?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=syndication&amp;mbid=synd_yahoo_rss\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Hudson Williams;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Hudson Williams&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Hudson Williams<\/a>&#8216; Black Swan-inspired look was centered on a duo-chrome eye look with two contrasting shades: an iridescent blue on his right eye and a matte dark red on his left. Both eyes were rounded off by dramatic winged eyeliner, smudged for a smoky effect on the red eye, and kept just a little sharper on the blue eye.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"&lt;h1 class=&quot;title&quot;&gt;Hudson Williams&lt;\/h1&gt;&lt;cite class=&quot;credit&quot;&gt;Dimitrios Kambouris\/Getty Images&lt;\/cite&gt;\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"1440\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/6a03992c83efd1d687cf213174f72b58.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Dimitrios Kambouris\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Speaking to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@britishvogue\/video\/7636846691458632991\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Vogue;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Vogue&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Vogue<\/a>, Williams himself explained that the blue side represented the White Swan, while the red side represented the Black Swan. \u201cWe are trying to add a little bit of the mess to the Black Swan side, the sort of freedom, the chaos; and then on the blue side, we are trying to add this sort of austere, perfect qualities that the White Swan has.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Williams and his long-time groomer, Aika Flores, who was in charge of the star&#8217;s glam for the night and also accompanied him to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/celebrity\/articles\/hudson-williams-fully-ditched-pants-112204453.html\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:the after parties;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;the after parties&quot;}\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the after parties<\/a>, undoubtedly took a big swing for the night with one of the boldest makeup looks of the night, but since then, many have since taken to social media to praise the vision but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.threads.com\/@smashleemorgan\/post\/DX-K2JHjy9J?xmt=AQG0pPlze-6a4W10X1Z2YUv78Eq65AntsRAIcpqpngs-YQ\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:criticize;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;criticize&quot;}\" class=\"link \">criticize<\/a> the look&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@nikohaagenson\/video\/7636476169612791071\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:execution;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;execution&quot;}\" class=\"link \">execution<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"&lt;h1 class=&quot;title&quot;&gt;Hudson Williams&lt;\/h1&gt;&lt;cite class=&quot;credit&quot;&gt;Julian Hamilton\/Getty Images&lt;\/cite&gt;\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"1440\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/b30d20deb0d5d4652ca82bf935a32fc3.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Julian Hamilton\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Flores herself took to social media to address the criticism, admitting the Met Gala was a &#8220;high-pressure, high-stakes&#8221; event for her and Williams. Flores said she welcomes people&#8217;s input but implied she draws the line at callousness.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;As an artist, I receive all feedback, positive &amp; negative, with grace &amp; gratitude; it&#8217;s all part of growth,&#8221; Flores wrote on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.threads.com\/@by.aikaflores\/post\/DYADrkuAGlZ?xmt=AQG0mi3maCutNHFgmA95XmJHzAIrB9Bozt_NFlq8NyToCg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Threads;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Threads&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Threads<\/a>. \u201cTaking a risk always comes at a cost, &amp; I stand by that. There&#8217;s always room to evolve, no matter where I am in my career. But while everyone is entitled to an opinion, it&#8217;s important to remember there&#8217;s a human with feelings behind the work, building something with purpose, vision, &amp; heart. It cost [sic] nothing to be kind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Flores followed up her post with her own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.threads.com\/@by.aikaflores\/post\/DYAD7pzgItG?xmt=AQG0mi3maCutNHFgmA95XmJHzAIrB9Bozt_NFlq8NyToCg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:reply;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;reply&quot;}\" class=\"link \">reply<\/a>, urging people to &#8220;please be kind to each other.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Despite the criticism, the makeup look was also praised by many others, who left messages of support in the comments section under Flores&#8217; Threads post. Not to mention, many are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/search?lang=en&amp;q=hudson%20williams%20makeup&amp;t=1778151678781\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:recreating;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;recreating&quot;}\" class=\"link \">recreating<\/a> Flores&#8217; vision for Williams on social media.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Originally Appeared on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teenvogue.com\/story\/hudson-williams-met-gala-2026-makeup-response?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=syndication&amp;mbid=synd_yahoo_rss\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Teen Vogue;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Teen Vogue&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Teen Vogue<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Want more Met Gala 2026 stories? Check these out:<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Theo Wargo Hudson Williams&#8217; Met Gala 2026 makeup look is the talk of the town, for better and&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":473449,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[268],"tags":[207550,434,18,117,137393,19,17,4112],"class_list":{"0":"post-473448","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-aika-flores","9":"tag-celebrities","10":"tag-eire","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-hudson-williams","13":"tag-ie","14":"tag-ireland","15":"tag-met-gala"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116534720982902814","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=473448"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473448\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/473449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=473448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=473448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=473448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}