As high school’s around the country participate in spirit weeks, students are taking part in the much anticipated tradition of dressing up on each themed day.

When Joshua Welch was faced with the challenge of dressing up for his high school’s “Culture Day,” the 17-year-old thought long and hard about his outfit. After some deep deliberation, the Maryland teen decided to dress as a thief — and his explanation why will make you weak. 

After posting the photo to Twitter, it immediately became a viral sensation. Although Welch received many comments and questions about his outfit choice, he was able to articulate why he made such a bold move.

“The idea just happened to dawn on me, and I knew I had to do it,” he told Buzzfeed. “Being a huge advocate for social justice, I was excited to come to school and participate in some grass roots activism.”

Welch has been a longtime activist for Black Lives Matter and often posts articles supporting Black voices on his Twitter page.

Upon seeing the photo, most people responded with light-hearted comments. There were still a decent amount of haters, however. 

And then an even larger debate under the photo quickly erupted.

Although the debate quickly got out of hand, Welch did not let it keep him from having a good time.

“It far surpassed what little impact I thought it may have,” Welch said of the popularity of his post. “I love it, spreading humor and awareness at the same time.”