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Credit: Snapchat / Kylie Jenner
Kylie Jenner surprised students at Rio Americano High School in Sacramento across the weekend when she rocked up to their end-of-year prom. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians reality star went as a date to stranger junior Albert Ochoa whose first date choice rejected his invitation.
Arriving via private jet with her best friend Jordyn Woods, Jenner attracted ear-piercing screams from the students and a sea of filming iPhones as she slow danced with her date.
Perhaps what irks me a little though is while it was so sweet of Jenner to accept a stranger’s invitation and build Ochoa’s confidence back up, the entire night was filmed for an upcoming episode of KUWTK and became all about Jenner’s presence. And with that, you have to spare a thought for the other girls – and guys – in Ochoa’s grade that night. Just as Jenner had told Seventeen magazine in 2013, she craved the prom experience. (After grade nine, the star was home-schooled which meant she didn’t get to go to prom).
“I really do want that boyfriend prom experience,” Jenner said. “I would want to go with someone who’s not afraid, or doesn’t think that he’s too cool, to show up at my house with a rose corsage. It would be nice for the guy to come over and be respectful and nice while my mom takes prom pics.”
As a teenager, Jenner clearly looked as forward to prom as much as every other girl at Rio Americano high school that night. Given how much time is spent SnapChatting dress options to your best friend and sourcing your first ever makeup artist, how would some of those girls have felt to be overshadowed by one of the biggest reality stars in the world on their special night?
Jenner isn’t the first celebrity to attend prom with a fan though: Taylor Swift went to prom with a fan at Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa years ago as part of MTV’s show Once Upon A Prom. Rihanna also made a fan’s night in an episode of the same show. Katy Perry even surprised one fan when she crashed his formal in Melbourne, Australia and one of the most wonderful things the late Tupac Shakur did for a fan was not only take her to prom but pay for her $1500 dress and pick her up in a limousine.
It’s such a nice gesture but just as former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins pointed out in 2006 when a fan asked her to his high school formal, the experience for the other girls is “a media circus.” Hawkins rang 17-year-old Bathurst student Daniel Dibley to tell him she couldn’t come as his date out of concern her appearance would overshadow the night. She made it up to him by attending one of the school’s assemblies before heading to the pub for a date with Dibley.
Kylie Jenner, take note. Some girls may have been just as excited as Ochoa but your presence denied alot of others that true prom experience you too so much craved.
proud to say that’s my brother ? pic.twitter.com/zeKj9gf8gF
— $elena Ochoa (@ssoochoa) April 9, 2017
Joel with @KylieJenner @ rio prom??? pic.twitter.com/pe4mdxGnZZ
— dad (@sonnyekopak) April 9, 2017
Kylie at our prom… #sactown pic.twitter.com/4ViX3yILtI
— KC gilles (@casey_gilles) April 9, 2017
