May is here with the beginning of flowers and a torrent of showers. Birds are chirping, grass is growing, and the sun is shining. Spring is such a beautiful time of year! It’s also prom time, a special time in every teen’s life where they get to become the prince or princess they’ve always wanted to.

This past weekend was filled with gorgeous dresses and dapper suits. Local restaurants were filled with youngsters spending more on a meal than they’d ever dare spend outside of this special and sacred occasion. For most, there are smiles and an air of joviality in the air. This is their time — the time they get to do what they want.

Such was the case for Utah senior Keziah Daum. Like all young prom-goers, she sought a dress that would impress. After all, prom is about dressing up and looking your best, even while sometimes taking it to the extreme. After browsing a vintage dress store in Salt Lake, Daum said “yes to the dress,” a Chinese cheongsam.

For her, it fit all the checkmarks: modest (something in short supply today) and unique. She dressed exactly the way she wanted. After prom, she did the cliché post-prom Facebook/Instagram pictures of her and her date. Though I’m certain she received many of the flowery phrases of “OMG! So beautiful” comments, there was one comment that has made national news.

Jeremy Lam, a Chinese man, tweeted her photo with this commentary: “My culture is NOT your…prom dress. I’m proud of my culture…For it to simply be subject of American consumerism and cater to white audience is parallel to colonial ideology.” One minute you’re at prom having the time of your life, the next you’re on national news as a symbol of cultural appropriation.

This debate over cultural appropriation has raged, however, for the past few years. College campuses — those bastions of freedom of expression (as if!) — have started cracking down on using Native American costumes for parties and Halloween. Even local controversies at BYU-Idaho have sparked the debate as to the appropriateness of non-Native American students wearing tribal print clothing.

The thought is that this “cultural appropriation” diminishes the vibrancy of the culture and undermines its importance. Some make the claim that no person should wear traditional cultural outfits, or those resembling or ascribed to a particular culture, who are not specifically a part of this. This, naturally, puts an impetus on clothing designers and their marketing campaigns.

But, what about the average consumer? Certainly, this young teen was not seeking to diminish or marginalize a culture by subjecting it to her consumerist appetites. No, she saw a pretty dress, and she wore it. Did that act in and of itself disrespect the culture? Or, on the other hand, did it actually show an appreciation for that culture?

In the BYU-Idaho “Scroll,” an article ran with a student lambasting those who wore tribal print. I took particular offense to that. Those who know me know that virtually everywhere I go, I sport tribal print socks, shoes, or shirts. Why? They’re awesome. Truly, the patterns are beautiful and unique.

Am I diminishing Native American culture through my cultural appropriation in the way I dress? Of course, the problem always comes down to my skin color. I’m white; therefore, it’s appropriating someone else’s culture. But, culture is more than something you’re born into. It’s more than a skin color.

For example, I lived with the Lakotan Sioux. While on the Standing Rock Reservation, I engaged the people, participated in smudging, went to the pow-wows, attended many wakes, and daily served their community. At the end of my time there, I was adopted through a formal ceremony, given a traditional Native American name, and gifted an eagle feather — a sacred honor. In their mind, I was one of them. In my mind, I belonged.

Wearing tribal print, for me, is one way I retain in remembrance the people I dearly love and the fond memories I created. It is a way to remind me of the heritage I was not born into but grew to appreciate immensely. To have someone, without knowledge of my background, lambaste me or others like me for “cultural appropriation” is simply stupid.

If anything, this gives those in marginalized communities an opportunity to engage and educate others on their culture. And, especially for Native Americans, that culture diminishes with each generation. This presents the perfect opportunity to help highlight the beauty of their culture.

We have a disease in our country. While pursuing aims of “social justice,” we are creating a hypersensitive culture, one where every problem is the result of an institutional injustice perpetrated years ago by our forefathers and continued unawares by ourselves. The more we allow ourselves to be offended by something as trivial as the pattern on my socks, the more we’ll find ourselves sinking in a constant sea of perceived oppression.

That society will not subsist, as there is no end to fault-finding once begun. Cultures are to be shared, learned from, embraced and appreciated. A Chinese prom dress is one way we who are not members of that culture can share our appreciation for its inherent beauty. Push away the hypersensitivity and take the compliment.

Tayler Bingham, a Blackfoot native, graduated Summa Cum Laude from Brigham Young University-Idaho and is currently a Masters of Public Administration student at Idaho State University. He works as an administrative associate for the City of Blackfoot.