MIAMI – A video of a recent performance by Miami Northwestern Senior High School's dance team has gone viral because of the teens' costumes, which some tell WPLG-TV the outfits are too racy.
Reaction to the video has been varied on social media, with some praising the teens for their talent and saying that the outfits are simply costumes.
Nothing is wrong with these girls wanting to dance and play the part their given. The dance teacher sends all her girls to the top dance
— Golden Chocolate 🍫✨ (@goddess_tay) September 26, 2017
Schools and they are all on the honor roll. So don’t come for how they look for doing something they love #MNWAlumni
— Golden Chocolate 🍫✨ (@goddess_tay) September 26, 2017
Others said the pantyhose the girls were wearing made the costumes look more like lingerie.
"This is a good example of the #Adultification of Black teen girls," one Twitter user wrote.
This is a good example of the #Adultification of Black teen girls
— 🇺🇸Peaches Jenkins🏁 #MagdalenBernsForever (@PeachesJenkins3) September 25, 2017
One of the videos posted on social media has been viewed nearly 308,000 times.
Parents and guardians of students at the school also have different opinions about the teens' costumes.
"If they're dancers, they're entertainers," one grandparent, Debbie Frasier, said. "So if you have the same problem, you have the problem with Beyonce or young child stars who dress that way on national television."
The high school's principal released a statement Tuesday, saying that the parents of each dance team member approved of the costumes.
"While all the parents of the dancers who participated in the event approved of the attire, we understand the concerns that have been raised and sincerely apologize for any offense this may have caused," Wallace Aristide said. "Looking ahead, we will implement a more comprehensive and stringent uniform approval process to ensure an appropriate representation of our school."