At the 2026 Met Gala, Hudson Williams faced a few heated rivals in the fashion arena. Despite endearing many of his fans with his powder blue Balenciaga suit and bold red-and-blue eye makeup, he polarized other online users who saw the glam as “messy.” Amid the backlash, Hudson’s longtime groomer, Aika Flores, responded gracefully, sharing that she is able to receive all feedback, both positive and negative, with grace and gratitude.
“It’s all part of growth,” Aika wrote on Threads May 6. “Taking a risk always comes at a cost, and I stand by that. There’s always room to evolve, no matter where I am in my career.”
While the groomer, who has also worked with clients such as Joe Jonas and Alex Warren, seemed willing to engage with critics, she also called on commenters to speak out with empathy.
“While everyone is entitled to an opinion,” Aika continued, “it’s important to remember that there’s a human with feelings behind the work, building something with purpose, vision, and heart. It costs nothing to be kind.” In a follow-up post, she added, “Please be kind to each other. *logging off.*”
Although some people may have thought Hudson’s makeup missed the mark, the actor himself said he thought “Aika killed it.” “The makeup was inspired by Black Swan because me and my groomer Aika love that movie,” he told Vogue at the Met Gala. “We wanted to reference cinema and we kind of wanted to do the White Swan becoming the Black Swan a little bit.”
Meanwhile, he also reflected on how he and Aika have approached his style as he continues to evolve in his career. “We’re creating more, staying fluid, never really locking in,” he said in a separate Vogue interview at the event. “We like masculinity and femininity in everything we do. This [makeup]? We’re just going crazy, having fun.”
