Weeks after an American teen was slammed on social media for wearing a traditional Chinese dress to prom, another high school senior has gone viral for wearing ethnic garb to her prom. This time though, netizens are all praises.
Earlier this month, Filipino-American Tricia Jane Asuncion posted photos on Twitter of herself wearing a terno type of Maria Clara gown — accessorized with a pamaypay (fan), of course — a look that recently caught the attention of “proud” Filipinos.
“Mad ethnic right now,” she tweeted.
https://twitter.com/tricxajane/status/992539428127215616
A terno gown is a traditional dress worn by women in the Philippines iconic for its butterfly sleeves. It is still sometimes worn during formal occasions, like the president’s annual State of the Nation Address, but is rarely worn by young people, much less one like Asuncion, who lives in Houston, Texas.
“It means more than just a dress. It represents what we stand for as a culture, as a community, and as a country,” she told ABS-CBN International news program Balitang America.
And she wasn’t the only one who honored her roots.
In another tweet, Asuncion shared a photo showing how her friends also went to prom wearing traditional dresses from their own cultures.
“Being that this is our senior year, we decided to go big for prom. We thought there was no better way than going cultural, so that is what we decided to do. All our friends went traditional,” she said.
https://twitter.com/tricxajane/status/994196315461554176
“My classmates really loved the idea. When all my friends showed up at prom, we got a lot of compliments saying how beautiful we looked and how handsome my date looked.”
And netizens seem to love it too.
Many praised the teenagers for appreciating and honoring cultures the right way. Some were inspired to do the same for their own prom, while others were simply in awe of Asuncion’s magazine-worthy look.
Seeing these teens proudly stuntin for da culture makes me so happy. https://t.co/eCpIPkCmLH
— BFFR season (@doseofrose91) May 8, 2018
https://twitter.com/rivnnv/status/993653601640898561
PRAISE THE ASIAANNNNNN https://t.co/7OMEBZxyLE
— capa di tutti capi Ⓥ (@tonim4tic) May 8, 2018
https://twitter.com/_alannvh/status/993712497315188736
wish I did this for my prom 😍 https://t.co/AchGCa0eLM
— nine (@lucki_nine) May 8, 2018
https://twitter.com/prncessschelsea/status/993577678828695552
Asuncion’s tweet had 8,313 likes and 1,785 retweets as of this article’s posting.
Think you’d do the same for your next formal event? Let us know in the comments section below or tweet us @CoconutsManila.
