Tons of celebrities made the really stupid decision to smoke in the Met Gala bathroom

After posing on the famed red stairs at the Met Gala Monday night, couture-clad stars headed inside the immaculately styled Metropolitan Museum of Art for the most exclusive fashion event of the year.

…Where they promptly escaped to the bathroom and lit up. 

Pouty selfies soon emerged, smoke billowing and lips pursed around sticks of tobacco, as Hollywood's up-and-comers posed against the drab tiled walls that normally house suburban mums and European teens relieving themselves before soldiering back into the museum to catch a glimpse of Van Gogh's self-portrait.

The toilets at the Met are far from glamorous.

But with the right angle and a bevy of camera-ready subjects, the museum's bathroom temporarily transformed into a canvas for models and actresses to relive the glory days of '90s IDGAF-dom.

Bella Hadid, new mum Behati Prinsloo, Mr Robot's Rami Malek, Lara Stone, Dakota Johnson – even Frances Bean Cobain accompanied by mum Courtney Love smiling in the background – all appeared in cigarette-filled snaps shared to their millions of fans across social media. (Armie Hammer was also spotted vaping behind Dakota in her Snapchat pic.)

OK, everyone knows smoking is incredibly bad for you. The science has been around for decades. It kills. But the specific instance of numerous celebrities lighting up in the Met Gala bathroom goes beyond the need for a standard anti-smoking PSA.

First of all, it's illegal. Second of all, it's stupid.

New York banned smoking in bars, restaurants, and public restrooms in 2003. It's also illegal for anyone under 21 to purchase cigarettes, tobacco, or e-cigs. (Sorry, Bella.)

Laws aside, the Met houses thousands of priceless paintings and historical artefacts that are so fragile the flash from your camera can damage them. Smoke fumes wafting from the bathroom are definitely not doing these masterpieces any good.

It's also incredibly irresponsible. No, celebrities shouldn't be asked to be 24/7 perfect role models for impressionable fans. That's an expectation that's impossible for anyone to live up to in the age of the internet and camera phones.

But these aren't leaked pics of someone puffing away at a private party or passing around a joint in their living room.

These are consenting photos of influential young stars attending one of the biggest events of the year and proudly posing with cigarettes in hand (or mouth) in a public space.

Fortunately, their fans seem to be savvy enough to see through the smoke.

"Even the most ratchet places in America do not allow you to smoke in the bathroom," commented one on a video of Behati smoking. "Smh."

Wrote another, "Thanks for smoking in the museum. It's not as though it's the among the most important institutions in the world and you should have respect for it or anything."

Celebs, next time you feel the urge to pose holding something in a public restroom, do your fans a favour and grab a tampon or a condom instead. You won't look any sillier — and at least you'll be destigmatising feminine-hygiene products or promoting safe sex instead.