No one is exactly sure why the mandate was instated, as no official explanation has ever been given for the decision to ban selfies and the use of social media from the glamorous and already-FOMO-inducing event. But it was made by Wintour in 2015.
At the time, a Vogue source revealed to Pret-a-Reporter that a notice went out to all invitees, warning, "The use of phones for photography and social media will not be permitted inside the gala."
The magazine declined to comment on the report, but a source told The Hollywood Reporter at the time, "It has solely to do with guests' security and enjoyment of the event."
Wintour's disdain for phones at the event was clear in a memorable scene from The First Monday in May, wherein she discovered a male celebrity—whose name had been blurred, per Wintour's request—decided to attend the event after initially declining. "Can he not be on his cell phone the entire time then?" she asked Ward Durrett.
In an interview with The Post, Ward Durrett explained, "Anna is sort of an old-school traditionalist. She likes a dinner party where people are actually speaking to each other. We aren't sitting over people's shoulders, but if it's an obvious thing we might gently remind them."
Still, despite Wintour's ban, snap-happy celebs have broken the rule many times, including Kylie Jenner's infamous bathroom selfie from the 2017 affair.