Jan. 6—WASHINGTON, D.C. — A Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma citizen’s prom dress is included in “Girlhood (It’s complicated),” an exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

In 2018, Isabella Aiukli Cornell, who hails from Oklahoma City, used her prom dress to call attention to the systemic violence and abuse faced by Indigenous women. Now a student at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, Cornell chose the color red in solidarity with the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s movement.

A Smithsonian blog post details how Cornell worked closely with designer Della BigHair-Stump (Crow) to create the prom gown’s appliqué design. The colorful appliqué is made up of satin pieces sewn together, and then applied onto the wool fabric bodice. The geometric shape is a Crow pattern used by Stump in many of her designs, and Cornell was drawn to it because the diamond shape coincidentally symbolizes the diamondback rattlesnake, which is important in the Choctaw tribe.

In April 2018, Teen Vogue featured Cornell and her prom date, Jalen Black, in an article on how Native teens were using prom fashion to celebrate their heritage and identities.

Cornell’s dress is now part of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s permanent collection.

The gown is showcased in the exhibit “Girlhood (It’s complicated),” which commemorates the anniversary of women’s suffrage by exploring the concept of girlhood in the United States as well as how girls changed history in five areas: politics, education, work, health and fashion.

With a design inspired by zines, the 5,000-square-foot gallery has five story sections: Education (Being Schooled), Wellness (Body Talk), Work (Hey, Where’s My Girlhood?), Fashion (Girl’s Remix), plus seven biographical interactives stories, A Girl’s Life. The design features custom murals and illustrations by artist Krystal Quiles.

The exhibit is on view through Jan. 2, 2022. As a public health precaution due to COVID-19, all Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo are temporarily closed, and no reopening date has been provided at this time.

The exhibition will tour the country through the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service from 2023 through 2025.

To see the virtual “Girlhood (It’s complicated)” exhibit, go to americanhistory.si.edu/ girlhood.

Features Writer Brandy “BAM” McDonnell covers Oklahoma’s arts, entertainment and cultural sectors for The Oklahoman and Oklahoman.com. Reach her at bmcdonnell@oklahoman. com, www.facebook.com/brandybammcdonnell and twitter.com/BAMOK. Please support work by her and her colleagues by subscribing at oklahoman.com/subscribe.