Sometimes what means the most to you can upset people around you in ways you never expected.

Imagine standing your ground on something personal and heartfelt, only to be told you made the moment about yourself. Would you change your stance to prevent drama? Or would you stand firm and do what you want?

In today’s story, one teen finds herself in this very dilemma and chooses the latter option. Here’s what happened.

AITA for refusing to wear the expected color to our group prom photo because i wanted to honour our late friend?

I (17f) had my prom this year, and my friends and I planned our group photos and outfits to match beforehand.

Originally, we were all going to dress in coordinating pastels, sort of as a nod to a photo we took last spring break.

The pastel concept was my original idea.

Pastels actually have a deep meaning for these friends.

We all came to a consensus some time back, and it seemed light and playful, considering how much weight this year has had.

For context, one of our best friends passed away a few months back, and she used to adore pastel shades. It meant a lot to me that we (or at least I) wore pastels to honour her.

Here’s where the disagreement began.

A few weeks before prom, one of the girls in the group mentioned we should change the color to black. She told everyone that it would be less difficult to coordinate and would appear more “classy.”

The rest of the group was in favour, but not me.

I told them I still intended to wear the original pastel dress because (1) it was already purchased, and (2) I wanted to wear the dress for our friend. I told them it wasn’t for attention or effect — just that it was something important to me.

They didn’t say I shouldn’t go, but one of them mentioned that wearing a different color would “disrupt the visual balance.”

I told them I got it, but I wasn’t backing down.

Now, it seems like everyone has an opinion.

On photo day, I wore pastel, while all the other girls were in black.

We got the picture anyway, but the atmosphere was off. I attempted to remain neutral in the photo, but clearly, I did stand out.

Then, someone sent me screenshots from a group conversation in which two of the girls complained I was “doing too much” and “made it about someone who wasn’t even there anymore.”

Since then, I’ve heard people discussing it, referring to it as a “bold move” or that it was “kind of disrespectful to the group.” A few others have confided in me that they thought it was sweet and courageous, but I feel like some of my friends are backing away as well.

Some people think she should’ve backed out.

I don’t believe that I was cruel, but perhaps I could have played along and still respected her in private. Perhaps I made things awkward during a moment that was meant to be celebratory.

My best friend, Alice, wasn’t at our prom as she attends a different school. She says she thought I was in the right.

But when we asked a few of her friends, some of them mentioned I should have backed out of the picture, dyed my dress, or at least fought for my side to maybe get some others on board.

AITA?

Wow! It’s easy to see both sides, but maybe Alice’s friends had a point.

Let’s see what the folks over at Reddit think about it.

According to this reader, she did wear the color.

Here’s an interesting way to look at it.

This person thinks she made the right choice.

For this person, she’ll always look back at the photo and smile.

She did the right thing!

If you liked this post, you might want to read this story about a teacher who taught the school’s administration a lesson after they made a sick kid take a final exam.