After Kyemah McEntyre was bullied by her classmates, she fought back by designing the most beautiful prom dress in the history of, well, prom dresses
Maybe it's because it's been over ten years since we last attended a high school prom (or maybe we've just spent far too many hours of our adult lives watching Mean Girls and She's All That on repeat), but whenever somebody says the words 'prom dress', our vision turns pale pink and and suddenly everything around us is swathed in coral taffeta. In fact, even when our own stylists picked out the best buys on the high street, we couldn't stop picturing what they'd look like in a lilac limousine.
Which is why 18-year-old Kyemah McEntyre's gown, which she designed herself and wore at her school leaver's ball, is just so amazing.
The brightly coloured dress, which she sketched and designed by herself (before Markell, from Markell's Closet made it up for her) was inspired by African culture, and features a super low neck bodice and full, princess-style skirt. And there isn't an inch of taffeta in sight.
'This is for always being labeled as, 'ugly' or 'angry',' Kyemah wrote on her Instagram account, as praise for her design engulfed her feed. 'Thank God, stereotypes are just opinions.'
'As an artist I have a completely different point of view compared to most individuals,' she added. 'Throughout the world, [there are] people who do not notice each others essence and humanity. We stunt our collective spiritual growth by allowing assumptions and stereotypes to cloud our mind and thus our physical reality.'
"We let these negative ideas get the best of us, and in turn a world of isolation is manifested by our lack of sensitivity and desire to sympathize with each other... The most creative people are the ones who step out of their comfort zone and take advantage of the world around them.'
'My abilities as an artist allow me to experience the benefits that versatility fosters. Being exposed to all kinds of people and cultures is the muse for my artwork... I believe that in order for society to gain a wider horizon, we have to be willing to acknowledge other people from differences, beliefs, morals, and values.'
'I would like to take this moment to say that you have to understand who you are because if you leave that space open, you leave your identity in the hands of society. Don't let anyone define you. Beautiful things happen when you take pride in yourself.'
And, if this doesn't already sound enough like a '90s teen movie, Kyemah later revealed that she'd been crowned prom queen, too. Which everybody (cough, Lindsay Lohan, cough) knows is the ultimate revenge anyway.
