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Prom dress rules

I don't recall that my high school had a prom dress code. People wore some weirdshit to prom. Most girls wore perfectly appropriate, minimally revealing gowns.

My 11th grade dress wouldn't have made the cut according to this; the back was cut too low and I guess so was the bodice.It passed my mom's scrutiny which was pretty conservative. She totally nixed my 9th grade prom dress and made me take it back for being too slutty looking.

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/26/11395477-want-that-prom-gown-make-sure-its-passes-high-school-dress-code?lite

 

Click here for Cedartown High's list of acceptable and unacceptable prom styles.

Want that prom gown? Make sure its passes high school dress code

Girls who squeeze all but their cleavage, backs and midriffs into their special prom dresses may not get through the dances? doors this spring as U.S. high schools toughen dress codes.

?We?ve never had a problem until this year,? said Hal David, principal for Cedartown High School in northwest Georgia. ?It was at homecoming when we first saw the dresses our students were wearing -- and they were inappropriate, unacceptable.?

Students at Cedartown High School aren?t the only ones under greater scrutiny these days, as more American public high schools crack down on plunging necklines and thigh-high slits, educators say.

Some high school administrators say dresses have become so risqu? that staff have created special presentations on acceptable attire and offering approval in advance when girls show pictures of their most-sought after style of dress.

David said the school came up with new guidelines this fall to spare everyone involved in the special day, which came last Saturday for the Cedartown Bulldogs.

He said parents complained gowns worn during homecoming were too revealing. He said he assembled a team of parents, teachers and administrators to draw up a plan, which included showing pictures of dresses deemed acceptable and unacceptable. To make sure it was accessible to Cedartown?s 1,100 students he posted it on the school?s website. He said staff also placed posters on high school walls, showing pictures of acceptable dresses.

David said students had plenty of warning before they showed up for prom at the local country club. ?And to be fair, we were not trying to embarrass anybody. We just wanted our students to be appropriate,? he said. ?We didn?t have to turn away anyone, we didn?t have any issues and everything was fine.?

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Re: Prom dress rules

  • emisiemisi member

    imageCrackHabit:
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    That first one is pretty cute, too bad it's on the list.  Probably because it's low cut. 

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  • I would never wear any of the pictured dresses to a prom. They seem too... casual.

    My school ostensibly had a dress code, I guess, but we had a strict dress code for everything. Even for our graduation dresses (had to be pure white, tea or ankle length, and conform to normal dress code - so straps no less than 2 inches across, not too low in front or back, i.e. not low enough to show a normal bra).

    My senior prom dress was a little va-va-voom. Marilyn Monroe style, halter, v-neck, slit up the side. But it was evening gown-appropriate. I guess lack of common sense is what drives schools to have to instill a dress code.

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  • eh - those dresses are not too bad.

    My niece has senior prom this year- she was showing me the FB page dedicated to the girls in her class posting pics of the dresses they got - so others wouldn't get the same dress, etc.  I have to say they were all very respectful and beautiful - i was glad not to see any hooker dresses... almost all were long, too- as I would expect senior prom to be - as someone said- those dresses above look too casual.

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  • Is it different when the prom is not on school property? I don't know if I even remember seeing any school "officials" at the mansion we had ours it. I don't wanna say our whole senior class was all super classy or anything but i just don't remember this being an issue. Were the styles of the late 90's just more boring back then?

    I have to admit I'm a bit surprised at what passes for an acceptable prom dress nowadays.  Not revealing-wise just style wise.

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  • imageringstrue:

    Is it different when the prom is not on school property? I don't know if I even remember seeing any school "officials" at the mansion we had ours it. I don't wanna say our whole senior class was all super classy or anything but i just don't remember this being an issue. Were the styles of the late 90's just more boring back then?

    I have to admit I'm a bit surprised at what passes for an acceptable prom dress nowadays.  Not revealing-wise just style wise.

    For us even if prom is not held on school property it is still a school function with school officials as chaperons and school rules apply, drinking/drug use etc. The first 2 dresses are fine the 3rd is a bit of a stretch. Our girls normally wear long ones but the cut outs/ low backs and plunging necklines are numerous.

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  • imagemsmerymac:

    I would never wear any of the pictured dresses to a prom. They seem too... casual.

    Seriously.  Is prom no longer a dressy event?  This could explain why women don't seem to understand the definition of black tie attire anymore.

  • Is it no longer the rule that homecoming is short dresses while prom is long dresses?
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  • imagetartaruga:
    Is it no longer the rule that homecoming is short dresses while prom is long dresses?

    If you click on the link it leads you to another link with a lot more pictures of dresses. Most of them are long. 

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  • My prom had a dress code that was strictly enforced. If you showed up in something that wasn't appropriate they gave you something to cover up with. No one wanted to risk having to wear a t-shirt over their dress or sweatpants under it so people followed the rules. It wasn't the same as the normal dress code though. I don't remember specifics but I do know that strapless dresses were allowed.
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  • My prom dress was not revealing, but it raised some eyebrows. I got a used wedding dress, dyed it black, ripped off the sleeves, and sewed on some straps. I went with a female who wore a suit like a groom would wear. It was decided sort of last minute that they would not be allowing students to do some of the risque wedding-ish stuff they had allowed the year before, like the males taking their dates' garters off with their teeth to a dedicated song. I have no idea if we had anything to do with that, though, or if they just decided it was not appropriate.
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  • 1) yes, those first examples were too casual

    2) BUT dresses do not have to be long to be black tie. I also don't think it has ever been a universal room that prom dresses have to be long. Maybe some places that is the norm however.

    3) Just because prom is off campus doesn't make it automatically not a school event. ALL of our homecomings and proms are school events but are off campus. Field trips are also off campus but they are school events.

     

    4) Thank goodness some schools are starting dance dress codes. Its out of control.

  • He said parents complained gowns worn during homecoming were too revealing. 

    So..... why did the parents let their kids wear them?  

  • imageRedheadBaker:

    He said parents complained gowns worn during homecoming were too revealing. 

    So..... why did the parents let their kids wear them?  

     

    You realize there are more than one set of parents right? ;) The ones complaining might have had their kids in appropriate clothing. 

  • imageIrishBrideND:
    imageRedheadBaker:

    He said parents complained gowns worn during homecoming were too revealing. 

    So..... why did the parents let their kids wear them?  

     

    You realize there are more than one set of parents right? ;) The ones complaining might have had their kids in appropriate clothing. 

    Hmmm... rational thought .... I need more sleep. 

  • We didn't have a dress code and people wore some eyebrow raising stuff. But we weren't allowed to attend without an opposite sex date and my class was ~60% female so lots of girls just didn't go. 

    My senior year the two piece prom dress was a thing. A tragic thing.  

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  • I think shorter dresses starting gaining popularity in the early 90's.  A lot of girls in my class (like 15 - 20) all wore red cocktail dresses.   I, on the other hand, wore an off the shoulder princess line forest green taffeta w/ pickups over black lace.  Like Belle, but grunge colors.  That shiz stood up on it's own, it was constructed like a wedding dress.  To this day I love that thing.  I don't understand not wanting a mega dress for prom.  There's lots of other things to wear a cocktail dress to.  It never even occurred to me to buy that kind of thing for prom.  They're just....dresses.  Not prom dresses.  
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  • I didnt wear a cocktail dress, but I have the opposite view of dr who: I don't get the big deal about prom. For us it was just another fancy dance....but the only difference was that only juniors and seniors could go. So I don't view it as any different as another sressy event, clothing wise. I don't think girls have to wear poofy Long dresses. They just have to be appropriate :)
  • How many fancy dances did you have?  Here, Jr prom is a semi-formal, Sr prom is a formal.  There was one dance when I was a freshman then they stopped having them due to...uh....era-appropriate ennui, I guess.
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  • Homecoming was semi formal (so 4 years of that) Plus we grew up with bar matzahs wich were often formal, as well as cotilioans. Too many, that's for sure. Totally nms.  But to be honest I don't remember any of my friends wearing poofy dresses. Most were fairly simple a line from what I recall. I wish I had a pic to go back and look!  I bet I have one somewhere .

  • imagemxolisi:


    My senior year the two piece prom dress was a thing. A tragic thing.  

    I believe Larisa Oleynik is to blame for this. Thanks a lot, 10 Things I Hate About You.
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  • imageCrackHabit:
    imagemxolisi:


    My senior year the two piece prom dress was a thing. A tragic thing.  

    I believe Larisa Oleynik is to blame for this. Thanks a lot, 10 Things I Hate About You.

    I hated that dress on her. Hated it then, hate it now. 



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  • imageIrishBrideND:
    I didnt wear a cocktail dress, but I have the opposite view of dr who: I don't get the big deal about prom. For us it was just another fancy dance....but the only difference was that only juniors and seniors could go. So I don't view it as any different as another sressy event, clothing wise. I don't think girls have to wear poofy Long dresses. They just have to be appropriate :)

    In our area the attire IS the reason that prom is a big deal..well that and the splurge on a fancy dinner and possibly limo 

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  • imageSMorriso:
    imageCrackHabit:
    imagemxolisi:


    My senior year the two piece prom dress was a thing. A tragic thing.  

    I believe Larisa Oleynik is to blame for this. Thanks a lot, 10 Things I Hate About You.

    I hated that dress on her. Hated it then, hate it now. 

    I was pretty appalled by that dress. And then they became popular. And I still hated them.

    I still hate the 2 piece bridesmaid dresses you see sometimes. No, I am not going to reware the skirt OR the top with another piece. Just like I'm not going to reware any BM dress.

    Marie, we had to bring an opposite-sex date as well, but most seniors went. We were an all-girls school, so... There were a lot of people going with their brother's friend or just guy friends in general. I went with a friend of a friend who knew a lot of other people who were at my prom (male and female). It was fine.

    Oh, and we had a sophomore date dance in February and junior/senior date dance in December. My date dance dresses were more cocktail style. Senior year it was a short black stretchy thing. Prom is definitely more formal, IMO. I think almost everyone wore a long dress to prom.

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  • Oh I agree that prom is more formal. I was more talking about the commom misconception that formal = long. That is not true. You don't even have to wear long for black tie. The only time you MUST wear floor length is White Tie.

     

    I have a dress in my closet that is my go-to for black tie events. With H's job, we occasionally have events pop up last minute, and at times they are Black tie. It is not floor length. I avoid floor length like the plague. Its just my preference. So I find dressy shorter dresses. I did wear floor length to the prom though. From what I recall it was navy and A-line. I *think* there were some sparkly things along the neckline. 

  • imageIrishBrideND:
    Oh I agree that prom is more formal. I was more talking about the commom misconception that formal = long. That is not true. You don't even have to wear long for black tie. The only time you MUST wear floor length is White Tie.

    I've never been to a black tie event and I have never even heard of a white tie event. How do you know this stuff? Was there a class in HS I missed while I was wasting time in Ceramics?

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  • imagemeshaliu:

    imageIrishBrideND:
    Oh I agree that prom is more formal. I was more talking about the commom misconception that formal = long. That is not true. You don't even have to wear long for black tie. The only time you MUST wear floor length is White Tie.

    I've never been to a black tie event and I have never even heard of a white tie event. How do you know this stuff? Was there a class in HS I missed while I was wasting time in Ceramics?

     

    State dinners tend to be white tie. They require tails for men and long dresses ( and often gloves) for women.

     

     

    I know a lot of this because my mom forced to to do cotilian ( which I know I slaughtered the spelling of).  The rest is life experience and my time on the knot, lol.  But yeah, black tie events I've been too include weddings and gala type fundraisers for non profits as well as a few political events in DC. ( and my deb ball but i try to forget that to be honest) i personally do not like black tie but that is a whole different topic. I have never actually been to a white tie event. I've heard that some deb balls in NYC are even white tie, but I could be wrong about that. 

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