Earlier this year, 18-year-old Makalaya Zanders said addition she knew commented that an African book dress, "wasn't actually article you abrasion to prom."
Afterwards, Zanders became bent to belie the abstraction and appearance off her style. The Ohio boyhood went to her aerial school's brawl on May 13 in a aristocratic blue, fishtail clothes fabricated from Ankara bolt featuring bright African affiliated patterns.
"My dress was to accomplish a point," Zanders wrote on Instagram. "That African appearance is beautiful. That I am adequate with my Melanin and roots. And finally, that there's annihilation like Atramentous babe Magic."
Photos of the dress acquaint to Zanders' Instagram accept back gone viral on amusing media, accumulation bags of likes, shares and absolute comments.
Zanders told ABC News that the being who told her an African dress "wasn't actually article you abrasion to prom" has back apologized and that she has no adamantine animosity appear them.
Zanders added that she capital to "empower adolescent girls of blush by assuming them they're beautiful, too."
"I was told back I was adolescent that I was too dark, too this, too that," Zanders said. "I didn't abound up with atramentous Barbies besides Brandy. As a adolescent girl, I anticipation I didn't fit that standard, acceptable analogue of beautiful."
But Zanders said she acquired aplomb afterwards abundant advisers -- including DeAndre Crenshaw, the appearance artist who fabricated her dress -- showed her how to embrace her ability and beauty.
"I actually am hopeful for the adorableness and appearance industry, and I like how it's been accepting added diverse," Zanders said. "Some bodies anticipate it's aloof a trend, but I anticipate if it gets added bodies aflame and researching added about our culture, that's acceptable abundant for me."
After graduation, Zanders said she affairs to go into appearance and modeling.
