Prom photos are always blowing up social media, and most of them are beautiful.
Every now and then, you get one that is a little out there or a little too revealing, and the internet loses its mind for a few weeks and then forgets about it.
One girl is a trendsetter and chose to wear a traditional Chinese qipao dress to her prom. She thought the dress was unique and beautiful. It was the perfect thing to get everyone talking.
Keziah was right, but it didn’t get her the kind of attention she was hoping for.
People felt like it was in poor taste for someone who isn’t part of the culture to wear something that means so much to Chinese people to a high school prom.
People criticized her on Twitter with rude comments.
One person named Jeremy Lam said:
“My culture is NOT your goddamn prom dress.”
He then went on to explain the purpose of the dress.
He posted:
“The qipao was originally a loose dress/garment without shape, made for Chinese women to clean the house and do other domestic chores with.
“It was then altered and embroidered as a beautiful form-fitting outfit to wear publicly, which Chinese women were not allowed to do at during the times of extreme patriarchal oppression.
“In a time where Asian women were silenced, they were able to create, not only a piece of art but a symbol of activism. This piece of clothing embraced femininity, confidence, and gender equality through its beautiful, eye-catching appearance.
“It even broke the division of financial classes! It could be made with high-quality materials that only the upper class could afford such as special silks and linens, but a dress just as beautiful could have been made with just cotton and low-quality linen
“Femme factory workers wore this dress!!! And the style was then spread throughout Asian as a beautiful garment and sign of women’s liberation.
“In short: I’m proud of my culture, including the extreme barriers marginalized people within that culture have had to overcome those obstacles. For it to simply be subject to American consumerism and cater to a white audience, is parallel to colonial ideology.”
Still, Keziah defended her choice to wear the dress.
She explained:
“I was immediately drawn to the beautiful red gown and was thrilled to find a dress with a modest neckline.”
The photo was shared 42,000 times. While a lot of people were negative, others supported her and told her how beautiful she looked in it. Many also believed that there was no disrespect meant and she simply wore and dress that she liked, and it should be left at that. Keziah also posted on Twitter:
“To everyone causing so much negativity: I mean no disrespect to the Chinese culture. I’m simply showing my appreciation for their culture. I’m not deleting my post because I’ve done nothing but show my love for the culture. It’s a fucking dress. And it’s beautiful.”
The story apparently reached all the way to China, where the people who you would have thought would feel disrespected were supportive.
One Chinese girl said:
“Support from China. As a 100% pure Chinese, welcome girls from all over the world to wear qipao. You look so beautiful in that dress. China always welcome our friend from all over the world.”
Keziah didn’t mean any disrespect and felt that if anything, she showed off the beauty of the dress and respected the culture.
Her story definitely helped raise awareness of the meaning of these dresses in the Chinese culture.
When it comes to race and culture, people will always disagree. People have a right to feel the way they do, and Keziah has a right to wear what she wants to prom. Hopefully, nobody else will feel offended by it and it will all blow over. She did look beautiful.
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PROM pic.twitter.com/gsJ0LtsCmP
— Keziah (@daumkeziah) April 22, 2018
