Note: I was going to write about some dumb white kinds who hung a racist banner, “Nigga We Made It” off the roof of their Georgia high school. Unfortunately, some folk are still debating whether hanging a banner that begins, “Nigga…” is racist. Cracker Please…!
This is Prombat about to put the smack down on her Hollywood themed junior prom.
This photo was taken last week when she was just 16-year-old Alexis Carter, of Baltimore. It would mark a turning point in her high school career. Before the photo she was just another girl going to just another prom. But she wanted to do a dazzling homage to her hero and former champion of not giving a F#$K, Rihanna. Yeah, that Rihanna.
The outfit was originally worn by RiRi in Berlin, way back in 2010. Carter loved it. She really loved it.
“I was like, ‘Oh my god, I love this outfit, I wanna go with this outfit. Let me go show my mom,’ and I was like, ‘Mom, Mom, Mom, I wanna wear this, it’s cool, I love it, oh my god,” Alexis told Fox Baltimore.
That’s RiRi on the left (duh), just so you know where Carter was going with this look. She pretty much nailed it too; considering the fact that the outfit was created by a family friend, and not a fancy schmancy, New York city designer. I mean, from a dad’s point of view, the neckline could have been less plungy, and if I were her friend, I might have cautioned against the arms out, “look how dope I am” flying squirrel pose on the red carpet, but I’m impressed.
I mean, it’s relatively modest, original as hell and it reminds me of Diana Ross in Mahogany.
The rich legacy of PromBat. RiRi wasn’t the first to dress like a flying squirrel. That’s Diana Ross at the top, Barbara Streisand at the bottom, and modern dance legend (who I’ve kind of never heard of) Martha Graham in the middle.
RiRi wasn’t feeling it. The photo showed up in Instagram and was soundly trounced by everyone with two thumbs to smush against their keyboard, Rihanna included.
Some geniuses developed #PromBat, then Rihanna jumped in with the above comparison, complete with a sad face in the comment box.
She and her 35 million Twitter followers went in on Carter like she was an international model/ actress/ super villain and not a 16-year-old girl going to her damn prom.
This one came up somewhere in the mix. THOT, by the way, is short for That Hoe Over There. Because, so many people were saying the phrase in the first place that it just had to be shortened.
When did it become okay to call girls hoes? Don’t get me wrong; I’m disgusted that the words bitch and hoe have become acceptable pronouns for grown ass Black women, but like the “N” word, in all of its derivations, I’ve waved the white flag on that fight. But can’t we show some mercy to a 16-year-old girl? Please?
Anyway, Carter said that she was hurt, and offended. PromBat is still a hot topic in the twitterverse, and probably will be for a little while longer. Even after the world has moved on, the memes will remain.
Maybe RiRi will make it right. Fly down to Baltimore and take Carter to White Castle or something. Until then, it seems like Rihanna lost a really cool fan.
Sad face RiRi.