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Chinese Prom Dress Draws Attack, Defense on Twitter
A white high school student who wore a traditional Chinese dress to her prom last Saturday in Utah has received more than 8,000 tweets taking issue with her fashion choice.
The light-eyed brunette, Keziah Daum, tweeted prom photos showing her in a red satiny dress. The gown was what is often called "Chinese red," with a Mandarin collar, short sleeves, slit seam and intricate embroidery.
"My friends in my school were/are still bullied for wearing this beautiful style of dress. But when a white girl does it it's 'beautiful' and enriching, that's the difference," commented emily @emmaleerose, a Twitter user from Ontario.
"If you 'appreciate' and 'love' our culture, you'd know it's a traditional gown. Yet you claim, it's just a 'dress.' It has cultural meaning and significance to us. What you said shows no appreciation but shows plenty of appropriation," wrote megs @Megan_Phung, a Twitter user.
"Ethnic people often don't wear our traditional clothes because they can be targets to hate crimes, a fear white people do not feel when they put on those same clothes," tweeted NO PAT NO @patriciaah_1, a college student.
But others observed that the uproar was misguided and overblown.
"Chinese here. Just wanted to say that you look great, and I don't get why everyone is getting so upset over a dress. I hope you won't be too affected by them, and that you had a great time at your prom," said Twitter user ct @ct_quacks.
"You totally slayed this look," commented Xavier @OfficialXavier_, a recent college graduate with a degree in management tourism, suggesting Daum looked good in the dress. "Don't let these racists hate on you. Jealousy comes in all kinds of ways."
"Thanks for appreciating Asian culture. this is dope," tweeted KOOYA, using a slang term to mean "excellent" or "impressive."
"A modern #qipao is culturally meant to be worn for fashion, from casual to formal. It is appropriate for a variety of occasions," tweeted Kenson @rikognition, a Twitter user from Los Angeles, adding that what "would be inappropriate would be wedding qipaos, white funeral robes, Buddhist monk robes, military wear, red army uniforms, and imperial clothing."
Daum apologized several times on Twitter for offending anyone, saying it was unintentional. By Monday afternoon, her original tweet received 62,146 likes, 8,100 comments and 4,010 retweets.
"To everyone causing so much negativity: I mean no disrespect to the Chinese culture. I'm simply showing my appreciation to their culture," she replied. "I'm not deleting my post because I've done nothing but show my love for the culture. It's a [expletive] dress. And it's beautiful."
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Trump administration opens antisemitism inquiries at 5 colleges, including Columbia and Berkeley
The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.
It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.
In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.
Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.
"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.
The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.
An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."
House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."
Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.
Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.
The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.
"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."
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British student talks about her culture shock in Ohio
A British student who did a year abroad at Bowling Green State University in Ohio talks about adjusting to life in America in a TikTok video, Newsweek magazine reports.
Among the biggest surprises? Portion sizes, jaywalking laws and dorm room beds.
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