A teacher said an African-style prom dress would 'tacky'. This teen definitely proved her wrong

High school student Makalaya Zanders from Ohio was looking forward to her end of year prom a few weeks ago.

The 18-year-old decided she wanted to wear an Ankara print dress, a design popular in West Africa. She said she asked a white administrator at school, and got the response that such a gown would be "tacky" and not "really something you wear to" a formal event.

Makalaya was devastated by the knock to her confidence. But she also realised there was an opportunity to prove the teacher wrong, and enlisted the help of local designer DeAndré Crenshaw to create her perfect dress.

Come prom night, she:

abso...

...lutely

killed

it.

The royal blue java print had a front slit and mermaid tail and Makalaya accessorised it with a structural belt, arm bracelet, layers of gold necklaces and gold shoes.

Pictures of the dress on Makalaya and Crenshaw's Instagram accounts have amassed thousands of likes and comments from people thanking them for celebrating the beauty of black women and black culture.

Last year high school student Kyemah McEntyre from New Jersey made waves by designing her own beautiful gown to embrace her African descent.

Makalaya had the following message for the thousands of people who admired her dress online:

Thank you to everyone who gave me kind words on my prom dress... My dress was to make a point. That African style is beautiful. That I am comfortable with my melanin and roots. And finally that there's nothing like Black Girl Magic.

🙌🏿🙌🙌🏻🙌🏾

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