As the parent of young boys, I have no frame of reference (you've all seen scary pictures of my prom) so I did the next best thing...I Googled "prom fashions 2010". Uh oh, this is a sampling of what I found:
So, I have to ask...
Has prom become an excuse to spend lots of money on a slutty dress? Should schools have a dress code in place for prom fashions? Am I off base here, do these dresses NOT represent what is really out there today?
Time for Friday Feedback!
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Man! Things sure have changed since I went to the Prom (1988! Yikes).
ReplyDeleteMy husband teaches at a private high school, so there is a dress code enforced. But, I have heard that girls are spending $400 to $500 on JUST their dress!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI clicked on the momlogic link you posted it and has links to other pictures of this years prom dresses that make the photos you posted look like TAME unfortunately. Fashion for girls nowadays is begging for them to be taken advantage of and unfortunately, I don't think as many young women care to treat themselves and demand they be respected the way a lady should.
ReplyDeleteIncredible timing! My sister-in-law who is a single mom with a late in life 16 year old daughter, recently showed me some photos of the dress her daughter was going to wear to her Jr. prom. My jaw dropped to the floor when I saw the dress. It was almost exactly like the white number in your second photo. I let her know in no uncertain terms how inappropriate it was for a 16 year old girl. She loves me for my honesty and asks my advice on all things parenting..so she did not get mad. I think deep down she thought the same thing, but here again is a case of wanting to be your kids 'best friend' instead of the parent. I told her the dress was too mature..too skimpy and way too suggestive. What ever happened to pretty prom dresses? My 28 year old son looked at the dress and told her the same thing ...too slutty. You attract what you put out..and these dresses say "hey look at my hot young body". Is that the message we want our young ladies to be sending...I hope not. Man...I'm so glad I had 2 boys. Tuxedo's cover everything ;-)
ReplyDeletegood post...Janet xox
HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEEKEND !!!!! I'm sending you a piece of my Coconut Impossible Pie with a candle on it ;-)
ReplyDeleteYes unfortunately this is a very good representation of the prom dresses out there. I'm not a mom (yet-one day) but when i was in high school 10 years ago this was not the style at all. It has only progressively gotten worse with the cutouts, no backs and low cut to the bellybutton. I have also begun to sew dresses and what some people want I just don't do!
ReplyDeleteI really think there should be a dress code enforced at prom just like it is in everyday high school dress. Just because its prom doesn't mean its time to bare all or have a dress that is too short. But also as parents I think we need to tell our children no when they want to purchase these dresses. If i showed up in one of these dresses my dad would have told me to take it off and not go to prom, or given me a burlap sack to wear. I'm hoping i have boys myself, tuxes are so much easier. :)
Unfortunately, that IS what is out there. As the mother of 3 girls, it's difficult to find things that are beautiful, but not slutty. Even finding an appropriate dress for my 9 year old is becoming almost impossible.
ReplyDeleteI was at Dillard's last week and these are very much like the dresses I saw in their formal area and I was shocked that there would actually be girls buying these dresses. And this store was located in Utah - a very conservative state in many aspects.
ReplyDeleteIn my humble opinion, I can't believe that there are parents out there that would allow there girls to dress this way, and as the mother of two boys, I would have a very hard time letting my son go to prom with a girl dressed that way. To me, any girl that would wear a dress so revealing does not truly know who she is or is trying to be someone she is not.
lol. you're not off base. I have to say I just finished ROUND TWO of prom dress shopping (why yes, but "mom I can't be seen on facebook going to two different proms in the SAME dress!")
ReplyDeleteSo anywho, I held up a cute dress the other day and Jes immediately said, "mom that looks slutty." I didn't realize how short it was. It (and many like it) looked like a nightie. And don't even get me started on the cut-outs and low cuts and high cuts. Oh my.
You're lucky your guy's biggest dilemma will be what color vest to coordinate with his date's dress and he really doesn't have to stretch the brain to figure that one out. :)
Have a nice weekend! Great topic as usual, btw.
OH MY WORD! I cannot believe that people would drop $400 or more on a prom dress! And I would never let my daughter walk out of the house in something like that. She is only 5, what in the world will people be wearing when she goes to prom!? Unfortunately I think society objectifies young girls and we expect them to grow up way too fast. And it's not just prom dresses. Take a look at the little girl's section at any store. The dresses start looking slutty from size 6 and up.
ReplyDeleteJennifer, my daughter went to the prom this year and was even involved in decorating for it, etc. It is a little unnerving buying any kind of "evening gown" for you 16-year-old daughter. You're in the dressing room and she's tries on a gown and you think to yourself, "When did THAT happen?" But they do grow into young women and get women's bodies!
ReplyDeleteStill, we did our very best to find an appropriate, pretty, flattering, and tasteful dress. We didn't get one that hugged her curves, but went with an empire waistline instead so the dress just hung nicely.
Her school, a rather large and worldly place if I do say so, DOES have a dress code. They don't have much of one during the school week, unfortunately, but they did send home a little pamphlet about appropriate dress with the purchased prom tickets. It had pictures and all! Who knows how well it was enforced. But at least they tried.
What a great post topic!
ReplyDeleteI love people watching. And outfits are always a fun part of that. For example, I was at the store last Friday and a guy was wearing a "Word to Your Mother" t-shirt. How old was that? LOL.
Anyway, I remember a girl in my high school bought a $2,000 prom dress. It was unbelievable! But it was also ridiculous.
And aside from huge spending, I couldn't agree more with some of the inappropriate attire I see these days. Stuff is hanging out that shouldn't be and all that. I fault the parents, to be honest. I've said and I've heard people say "I wouldn't let my kid leave the house in that." More parents need to take that approach.
Holy moly, if we had some of those dresses at my prom, I might have even showed up. ;)
ReplyDeleteOk, this may be wrong, but I totally just laughed out loud at tit for tat's comment! So like a man ☺. Anyway, you are making me quite thankful that today my daughters are only 9 and 1 1/2. YIKES! I know so many people say this, but NO WAY would our girls be leaving the house. If they got past me, they would NEVER get past their daddy!
ReplyDeleteOMG I am a mom of TWO girls and I an scared to death...my only hope is fashion will go in a different direction (i.e. MORE FABRIC!) in the next 6-7 years and stay that way long enough for my now 3 year old too. Have you had a chance to see any of the popular female Halloween costumes as of late? Oh, just another reason to dress trashy I'm guessing...and I agree w/ Wendy...my girls will never get past their dad if they tried to leave the house dressed like that ;)
ReplyDeleteAs a mother of a teenage girl and boy I definitely have an opinion, but I'm trying hard to bite my tongue on this subject. You don't even want to get me start on the Halloween costumes.
ReplyDeleteWe've got to teach our girls to have a little self-respect. These dresses are completely inappropriate. I took my little girls to see their babysitter in the prom-walk last year. Some of those outfits made me cringe...the just screamed "trash". I felt sorry for the girls, actually. They were obviously SO ill advised.
ReplyDeleteOMG!!!!!!!!! Cindylou just tried on all of her cousins dresses last night!!! They were beautiful and tasteful....but still some were strapless.....and because she is still only in 8th grade I just couldn't wrap my head around the whole thing! WOWZA!!!!! Lord help us all!!
ReplyDeleteLove your blog!! Happy Mothers Day
ReplyDeleteI know I'm a little late (how did that even happen?)...but good night those dresses are bad. I was shocked by the dress that my youngest step-brother's date wore last spring at his prom....the amount of skin showing was terrible. I was in HS 15 years ago...and the most skin we saw were bare shoulders and maybe a few knees...and this was a public school just south of Seattle...what happened? With just one little guy...I won't have to worry about buying the dress...my concern is what the date will be showing up in and he will be staring at all night...
ReplyDeleteGirls...get some self-respect!
I graduated high school in 98 & when I was going to prom MOST things were covered. It was the beginnings of the bare mid-drift dresses or two pieces where the stomaches were exposed. Not the best, but not the worst either. I'm terrified what's going to be available when my now 4 year old will be formal shopping. On the flip slide, I also have 2 boys, 13 & 11. And like the other women, I'm glad they'll be in tuxes but their dates won't. I don't want the girls they take to be dressed in nighties either.
ReplyDeleteI’ve been searching for some decent stuff on the subject and haven't had any luck up until this point, You just got a new biggest fan!.. prom outfit for guys
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