A photo of Rachael Kirkconnell in antebellum dress, allegedly at an Old South party, has resurfaced and landed her in hot water. Read on to see the image and find out more about it.
Rachael Kirkconnell is a current contestant on this year’s The Bachelor. Competing to win the heart, and rose, of Matt James, she’s become arguably the most talked about contestant.
Following on from recent social media outpours and allegations, the latest to cause her trouble is a resurfaced antebellum photo from her college days. Although the image has been online for over a week now, interest has sparked once more after host Chris Harrison apologised for attempting to defend her.
The Rachael Kirkconnell Antebellum photo
The photo in question here is an image of the contestant at an antebellum themed ‘Old South’, now known as ‘Rose Ball’ party in 2018. The event was hosted at Georgia College & State University.
According to The Sun, Rachael’s cousin confirmed that the image is real. The photo sees her along with many other sorority girls in antebellum style dresses. The antebellum era is deeply associate with racism, with it being the time of plantations, slavery and the civil war.
The photo of Rachael Kirkconnell surfaced first on Reddit but was soon shared to Twitter, receiving negative reactions from viewers of the show.
What is an ‘Old South’ party?
An ‘Old South’ party is a widely known event in college life for the fraternity that throws it: Kappa Alpha. Kappa Alpha was founded just after the Civil War in Virginia, and in 1923 it officially claimed Robert E. Lee, a confederate army leader, as its “spiritual founder”.
Reportedly, chapters of the fraternity held Old South celebrations, in which Confederate flags are used and “plantation-style balls” are held. Guests attend the ‘Old South’ parties in antebellum-style clothing.