Backlash for teen who wore Chinese dress to school ball

Keziah's dress polarised people online. Photo / Twitter

A high school student has come under fire after posting pictures of herself in her high school ball dress.

Keziah Daum, from Utah in the United States, posted a series of photos of herself with her friends on the way to prom.

But her decision to wear a qipao — a traditional Chinese outfit dating back to the 17th century — has prompted a wave of criticism online.

PROM pic.twitter.com/gsJ0LtsCmP

— Keziah (@daumkeziah) April 22, 2018

The post began making the rounds after another user — Jeremy Lam — retweeted it with the caption "My culture is NOT your goddamn prom dress."

In a series of subsequent tweets, Lam explained that the dress represented "extreme barriers marginalised people within (Chinese) culture have had to overcome".

"For it to simply be subject to American consumerism and cater to a white audience, is parallel to colonial ideology," he tweeted.

Keziah posted her prom dress to Twitter, where it faced a storm of criticism and discussion. Photo / Twitter

While his tweets criticising Duam's decision to wear the dress went viral, users were divided on whether it was an issue.

Some agreed, arguing that it constituted cultural appropriation and was inappropriate.

just because it’s okay to a few chinese people doesn’t mean it’s okay to all of us? our traditional dress isn’t meant to be a fashion statement or make you appear more “exotic”. there’s a long history behind the dress and white people are not a part of it.

— katana (@bunchukuu) April 28, 2018

Wow i thought it couldn’t get any more racist until y’all put your hands together

— bot (@thaooocu) April 28, 2018

Was the theme of prom casual racism?

— •k8• (@secondhandkate) April 27, 2018

But others argued that it wasn't a big deal, saying her choice to wear it was an act of admiration for the culture.

It’s just a dress. It’s a nice looking dress. A beautiful design. She’s showing respect, not defaming it.

— Jude (@judemercenary) April 30, 2018

You look gorgeous and the dress is stunning! What a wonderful world we live in where we can share culture and dress in special design and style from across the world representing the culture of Earth and the art of humanity. ❤️

— Jerris (@jboezoe) April 28, 2018

Keziah addressed the criticism on Twitter, standing by her decision to wear the dress.

She said she meant no disrespect to Chinese culture, saying she was "simply showing appreciation" for it.

"I'm not deleting my post because I've done nothing but show my love for the culture," she wrote. "It's a f**king dress. And it's beautiful."

When someone asked her if she was part-Chinese, she responded: "Nope! It's just a pretty dress I found and it's a vintage dress from a vintage shop!:)"

News.com.au has contacted Keziah for comment.