During my recent visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, my family and I visited the new Superheroes Fashion and Fantasy exhibit, where we witnessed a substantial breakdown in trust and communication between the MET and its public.

While it is never been my mission to be promote myself as a moral martinet, it has certainly has been my mission as a design professional to ensure proper etiquette, consistency, and truthfulness be considered when engaging a consumer audience via advertising with a new product or service.

The entrance of the exhibit read “ Superheros. ” Of course, children, as well as adults, love Superheroes, who would want to see that exhibit. Displayed throughout the Met's stands were the colorful posters and books related to the exhibit. One in particular caught my eye for most everyone is delighted by the bold and bright colors of the art work of the comic books. I chose to review the exhibit's book before we saw the show. To my surprise or shall I say a bit of a shock, I found a disconnect between the child-like cover and its content. This left me questioning whether the content displayed within the book or the show was presented properly by the media displayed throughout the museum.

First lets look at the front of the book... Title: "SUPERHEROES - Fashion and Fantasy" The front cover looks PG , benign, playful, colorful, with no mention on the jacket of what is to come on the inside.

Yet now lets look at the inside...

O_o... As I scanned quickly its content "Woah"... I was taken back. Interesting choice of photography for a book that is front and center in every gift shop accessible to children surrounded by other entertainment based comic books. See here below.

While standing there a bit stunned by the photography within, I noticed next to me a mother who just picked up the book , having no idea its content, and proceeded to open it together with her school aged child. I abruptly interrupted the mother –I blurted out "Don't let her open that!!"...

The child snapped the book closed and put it back on the shelf, and the mother glared at me saying "What are you talking about?!"... I knew they both assumed that the contents matched the front cover packaging. I then proceeded to show her several pages that were more than inappropriate content for children. "I had no idea this was in here. I thought this book was for children...Thank you for stopping us. Its unfortunate how much children are subjected to." the mother said in a distressed voice.

As I mentioned I am not here to define morality, but define proper boundaries that professional producers must consider when they present products or services to a consumer audience. The cover’s design was misleading to what was inside.

At this point I thought... "Perhaps its just the book... What is the exhibit like?" This led me to walked around the MET to review the posters and other visual announcements promoting the event.

Found the poster >_>... hmmm. ok. looks good so far... lots of super heroes flying in unison... This poster would attract a wide audience of adults and children... Notice there is no mention of any PG or Mature status.

Next I proceeded to the exhibit entrance, - a classic entrance - simple signage states "SUPERHEROES" Hmmm... Based on the poster it looks innocuous, fun and rather inviting. Maybe the book did not represent the exhibit?

But enough of me critiquing the presentation. "What is the content?"

O_o... What the?!... before I could get a chance to take a few steps in I was greeted by Mr. Horseman! (Perhaps the superhero representing the S&M Porn industry). Something tells me that a superhero wearing a horse bit, with a 16' phallus is not proper content for children.

As I walk around in somewhat of a daze passing warped glass lined zig zag walls, I see children and adults alike walking around in a similar daze, not making eye contact with each other,most scurrying through the event. Is this the Met? Where am I?
(NOTE: You will not find this photo anywhere on the net or in any promotional material.)

While the exhibit, I assume, was put together to showcase how superheroes influence fashion and fantasy, yet I couldn't help but think how superhero costumes were designed to accentuate their identity or protect them from danger, whereas the contemporary fashion displayed here was designed accentuating particular parts, and a few perversions of the human in bondage, a condition that open one's self to danger.

But hey, at least Iron Man appears to have a new girl friend, yet it appears she ran out of metal around the nipple area. I doubt though parents would find accentuating this exposed area appropriate for their children.

It is unfair for me to criticize an institution so harshly without doing my due diligence. Perhaps the Metropolitan was responsible enough to inform visitors via their website of the mature content, before they decided to take their children...

After searching around their website, checking every link, as well as, googling every image related to the event, I did not find one mention of or a sample of the aberrant content. Seemed odd that the most subversive content was not displayed in any of public information about the exhibit, as if it was intentionally hidden. .

My first trip to the Met was 31 years ago, when I was carried in backpacked by my father when I was a few months old. The Metropolitan has helped form my perception of art and the world's highest culture. After seeing this exhibit, I felt betrayed by the very institution that presented the most beautiful of works of mankind.

What steps are the Metropolitan taking to ensure the next generation has the privilege of seeing great art, and providing age appropriate boundaries?

While it is easy to counter-argue "what is and isn't art" in our society, there certainly is no counter-argument to the obligation and responsibility that an institution has with its audience, in particular in how it advertises what is has on display.

This is the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where each presentation has been dutifully crafted, and each piece of content immaculately maintained and preserved. Yet during this past show the MET and its curators apparently made the choice to forgo decades of attention to detail, respect to its audience, and chose the path of sloth and sleaze.

While leaving the Met I passed this heroic looking figure, offering us a refreshing look at the human form, giving us hope the Met will respond.

1) Post a notification on posters, books, and entryway "Mature Content - may be inappropriate for Children"... 2) Post photos of all content online for parents to determine appropriateness. 3) Terminate the employment of every member involved with this decision making for this project, on up to the executive level. 4) Severe all relationships with the sponsors of the exhibit. 5) Remove Mr. Horseman and other S & M and porno fantasy fashions.