We expected cultural appropriation would be a risk at this year’s Met Gala. The very theme seemed to presuppose it: China: Through the Looking Glass, a fete intended to celebrate the beauty of the great Eastern nation, extol its vast accomplishments and analyze the country's great cultural strides in the past few decades.

We were rooting for Anna Wintour’s annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum to stray far past those traps onto noble pastures. The event does do much good for the institution; last year alone, it drew in an impressive $12 million.

But who were we trying to kid? This was designed for the Hollywood and fashion crowds, two of the most entitled industries full of individuals who feel immune to mere human limitations.

There was little to no excuse for the active and passive racism rampant on the red carpet last night.

The night began with an interview with actor and comedian Joel McHale that would set the tone for the cringeworthy events to come.

“Joel McHale telling opium jokes at the Met Gala and said he prepared by watching all the Jackie Chan films,” Complex’s Jian DeLeon reported via Twitter last night.

Joel McHale telling opium jokes at the #MetGala and said he prepared by watching all the Jackie Chan films. :-| — Jian DeLeon (@jiandeleon) May 4, 2015

At a cursory glance, a harmless joke, right? But one wonders if the actor would have stereotyped an entire culture if it was aimed toward African-Americans or Hispanics. Why is it so easy to poke fun at Asians?

Some of the very fashions seen throughout were silly, like Emma Roberts’ use of chopsticks as a hair accessory alongside her dramatic cat-eye eyeliner. Have we progressed at all from this culturally insensitive and antiquated '90s trend that lived, died and was sent to the depths of fashion hell? Yet said chopsticks make it out of Satan's lair alive.

#Metball @ralphlauren it's almost time! A photo posted by Emma Roberts (@emmaroberts) on May 4, 2015 at 1:30pm PDT

Unfortunately, it didn’t stop there. While some found Sarah Jessica Parker’s Phillip Treacy headpiece to be the night’s dramatic pièce de résistance, in my eyes, I saw blatant racism: the spot-on Asian Dragon Lady stereotype. Parker probably didn't realize, then, that she was setting Asian women back 75 years to the 1930s to the first derogatory "dragon lady" portrayal. The original term was used to describe strong Asian women but was a pejorative that made them into villains.

It was similar to Kris Jenner’s disturbing hyper-Asian outfit and makeup that just screamed cliche Orientalism.

She might as well have gone Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, with buck teeth, or Miss Saigon in the 1990s, taping back her eyes to create a perfect yellow face.

One questions whether any of these influential Hollywood types has relationships with anyone of Asian descent, or have ever been in contact with anyone of Asian origin. If so, they could have called a friend or speed-dialed a colleague to ask about potential cultural insensitivities.

We talk about black face, a very important conversation that should continue to be discussed. Why aren't we talking about yellow face?

Yes, fashion is fun and, at times, humorous. But when it comes to cultural appropriation, there's nothing funny about it. Ignorance is no longer an excuse in an age of social media and globalization, where understanding different perspectives is at one's fingertips.

Perhaps the irony of it all is the very title of the night's theme China: Through the Looking Glass; it never did specify just how clear the glass would be.

BONUS: Met Gala 2015: All the looks from fashion's biggest red carpet