Boy, 16, praised for attending prom in dress inspired by Billy Porter's Oscars gown

Watch: Boy, 16, praised for attending prom in Billy Porter inspired dress

A teenage boy has been been celebrated by his classmates after wearing a prom dress inspired by Billy Porter's 2019 Oscars look.

Korben White, 16, from Norfolk, was clapped and cheered by fellow pupils after donning a red tuxedo dress to his recent prom.

Earlier this month pictures shared by his mum, Nina Green, of her son in the dress quickly went viral on social media with many praising the school boy for his sartorial choice.

On Thursday, the mother and son duo appeared on This Morning to showcase the gown and discuss the reaction it garnered.

"I’ve always been feminine," White told hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary.

"And I've always liked dresses and Barbies and dressing up in my cousins’ dresses when I was four, but when I was 12 that's when I was like I want to wear a dress to prom.

"A suit is just not for me," he continued. "I just didn't feel that would be expressing myself how I want to."

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White explained that his look, which consisted of a red sequinned tuxedo on the top half, with a full-length, floaty skirt on the lower half, was inspired by Billy Porter's infamous red carpet look.

He finished off the outfit with an oversized bow tie, a red and gold clutch bag and a gold tiara.

"We thought it was amazing and just breaks down those gender stereotypes," he added.

White's mum told the show hosts why she felt it so important for her son to choose an outfit which perfectly reflected him.

"We were really excited, I wanted to make it special for him," she said. "I'm so proud of him for showing who he is and being true to himself.

"But the most amazing bit for me, as a parent, is when he got out of the car, the reaction of all of his friends at school."

When asked by O'Leary about the response of White's classmate's his mum elaborated: "They cheered, they all cheered and clapped. And to feel that level of acceptance just means so much, because there are children out there that don’t get that support.

"It’s so important to me that we let our children be who they are, because I believe if you let your children be who they are, you’ll never get anything but the best out of them."

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O'Leary went on to ask White if he was surprised by the reaction, to which he replied: "Yeah, I’m so blessed to have such a supportive school, friends and family and to be accepted was amazing.

"I hope that me being just an ordinary boy in a dress can show the world you can express yourself and there's nothing wrong with being a bit feminine or masculine."

The mother and son duo went on to discuss the initial reaction to White's outfit on social media with Green explaining that she was a little bit nervous to put the pictures out there.

"I didn't expect to get the reaction that it did," she explains. "But what's important to me, whilst I knew there would probably be some negative comments, the message I've got is far more important. That message of acceptance."

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She continued: "If I told him he couldn't wear a dress I would have failed as a parent because I'm not letting him be true to himself."

And Green had some advice for other parents who were worried about letting their child express themselves.

"Why hide your child away from who they really are? They are not going to have a happy life. It's no one else's business at the end of the day. No one else is living your life for you. You've got to embrace it all."