Posing in a fiery red skirt and a sequin-speckled tuxedo top that perfectly matches his scarlet-colored hair, 16-year-old Korben White blew up the internet with the billowing ballgown he wore to his high school prom.
After a viral post made by his mom Nina Green, that shows her teenaged son primed and primped for prom, fervent disciples of the woke movement praised his flowing frock while others played the shame game, saying it demonstrates the âfailureâ of a parent âin encouraging this sort of thing.When Korben White was only 12, he told his mother Nina Green âhe wanted to go to his school prom in a gown.â
In 2022, only four years after his declaration of intent, the teenâa âsassyâ young drag queen who goes by the name Miss Frou Frouâmade it ha
Speaking with the BBC, Green explains her sonâs inspiration. âHe wanted to go as himself, while expressing his feminine sideâwith a tuxedo on the top and a dress at the bottom, very much influenced by [American actor] Billy Porter.â She continued, âHe wanted to be KorbenâŠbut in a dress.â
And when he stepped out of the car in the sparkly red outfit paired with a white shirt and a giant red bow, Korbenâs big reveal was applauded by both staff and students at Archbishop Sancroft High School in Harleston, Norfolk.
âAs soon as he got out of the car, everyone just cheered and I was crying, some of the teachers were crying, because he was being who he wanted to be,â the proud mom said of Korben. âEveryone has been very supportive, and his year group has been incredible. If you let your child be who they are then youâll get nothing but the best out of them.â
Her sonâs biggest champion, Green continued her massive show of support with a tweet on July 1
Paired with a few photos of Korben in the spectacular outfit, Green writes, âAt age 12 my son announced he wanted to go to his school prom in a gown. Four years later we made it happen. Iâm so incredibly proud of him for being true to himself & the reception he got from his whole school was incredible.â
Her post gained a lot of momentum with millions of users around the world sharing commenting, and complimenting the handsome young man
It even reached Michelle Visage, a judge on RuPaulâs Drag Race, who said, âYou are an amazing beautiful mom and your child is a STAR.â
Korben said it was âvery surrealâ that his motherâs tweet captured the attention of Visage.
âTo me she is such an icon, a wonderful celebrity and I really admire her,â he said.
Green wasnât expecting that her show of support would âgo crazy,â and said she only wanted to show her son âliving his best life,â which made other parents look for her advice.
Some users shared photos and stories of their own gender-bending children.
One writes, âI worry for my son, he would really love to do something like this at prom but he would definitely not have the support of all the students! So sad that we still have homophobia even now. Well done to you, your son and his school!â
A second shares, âI am so happy for your son he looked absolutely amazing!!!My son is trans, after 3yrs of transphobic bullying in Jan b4 GCSEs [General Certificate of Secondary Education offered in parts of the UK] I had to take him out of school for his mental health. He was always going to prom in a tux and he was deprived of the chance.â
A third simply writes, âAbsolutely stunning! My daughter wore a suit to hers!â
Meanwhile, the positivity was met a string of other comments, which serve as a reminder that not everyone is on the same social path.
One writes, âThere is very little hope for civilization,â and a second shares, ââŠVile, Woke & a failure as a parent in encouraging this sort of thing. A 12 year old boy should be playing football and learning to be a man. But, sadly people now a days virtue signal, like what youâre doing with this tweet, and ruin their kids for life. Shame.â
Another netizen says the support for Greenâs post is troubling. âThere is absolutely nothing natural about a âboyâ dressing like a âgirlââthe support shows just how screwed up our world is.â And one cyber fan goes so far as to suggests the world is lacking logic, âWe live in a world where children should no longer pretend to be Indians but men should pretend to be women. Utopian.â
Yet, a steadfast warrior of support, Green wasnât willing to surrender to the online hate.
The day after the internet-exploding tweet, Green accompanied her son to London Pride and shared a sweet photo of the two.
One cyber user commented, âMy boy did too, couldnât be prouder, heâs also at London Pride today aged 16 itâs fabulous love and to you and yours,â and a second shared, âyou both look amazing xxâ
A third attacks the mom, writing, âYour son doesnât look like a man anymore, some kind of fa****â
Green, who comments on Twitter that she ignores the negativity, says she hopes other children and parents will find encouragement through the relationship she shares with Korben.
âI really hope it will help others be more accepting, let proud parents feel they are not alone, and that they can celebrate their children, and for young people to know there is a network there if they need it.â She continued, âYou need to accept your children for who they are.â
Korben Green certainly is a brave young man for expressing himself the way he does! And heâs very fortunate to have such a supportive mom, who shuts out the noise and continues parenting him in the best way she knows.
What do you think of teens attending prom in outfits that donât represent their genders assigned at birth?
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