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Teen criticized for ‘fairy tale’ ambulance ride to Bahamas prom

The teen was “woken up” by a kiss from her date; she now feels ‘bittersweet’ because of criticism

ABACO ISLANDS, Bahamas — A teenager who arrived to her prom in an ambulance and was “woken up” by a kiss from her “Prince Charming” date is facing criticism for using an emergency vehicle to get to the dance.

Photos of Ashvonn Russell were posted on Twitter by @CaptainPajamas and have been retweeted over 7,000 times.

The viral moment was in response to a contest for “Best Entrance” to the prom, put on by a local key club for three different high schools on the Abaco Islands.

Russell said the social media attention is “bittersweet” because she has been criticized for taking an ambulance out of service that should have been available for a real emergency.

Russell declined to share how she obtained the ambulance for the dance. She told BuzzFeed News that she is an artist who likes to think outside the box.

“This is evident in all of my paintings and drawings which are mostly inspired by fairy tales,” Russell said. “‘Sleeping Beauty’ with a modern twist captured my interest for my prom entrance.”

Russell said she’s proud of her idea, and won’t apologize for her creativity.

“My hope for this theme was genuinely and solely to win best entrance by my unique style of entry and not for some of the negative attention and exposure it has received,” Russell said.

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