WSJ article - racy, revealing prom dresses spur backlash.
(I realize that this does not have too much to do with Internet technology stuff. But, I bet more people will read this post !)
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May 11, 2001
Racy Prom Dresses Spur Backlash;
Some Schools Impose a 'Dress Code'
By AMY MERRICK
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
In her quest for the perfect prom dress, Rebecca Neal, a high-school senior in
Nicholasville, Ky., found frustration rack after rack.
All the dresses left her feeling, well, undressed. Too low-cut in front, and she
couldn't bend over. Too low-cut in back -- she'd be blushing all night. Too
tight, and she couldn't dance.
"I think designers need to actually go to prom and talk to people," says the
17-year-old Ms. Neal, who eventually settled on a classic, burgundy dress with
a shimmery black-lace overlay.
With the prom season in full swing, designers are betting more than ever on
skimpy, peekaboo offerings. There are the "two-piece gowns," made up of a
midriff-baring halter top and skirt. Then there are the thigh-high slits and
cleavage-baring numbers.
The dresses have become so daring -- so Frederick's of Hollywood -- they've
begun to stir a backlash. More than a dozen schools nationwide have instituted
prom "dress codes," some specifically banning the bare-midriff look. In
Arcadia, Fla., DeSoto County High School now insists that some cloth cover
the tummy, though "netting or sheer material covering the midriff is
acceptable." Dress slit lengths are regulated too; they can't go higher than a
girl's fingertips when she hangs her hand by her side. (For boys, sneakers are
an infraction.)
Concerned about the
growing popularity of
skimpy styles in the past
few years, DeSoto
Principal Steve Cantees
rounded up students last
fall to flip through
magazines and help him
write some moderate
rules. "When I saw the
styles this year, I said,
'Oh my gosh,'" he says.
For high-school boys,
meanwhile, the new
styles amount to
something of a mixed
blessing. Faced with a
date in a revealing outfit,
some are simply
flummoxed. With so
many strapless or
spaghetti-strap dresses,
few boys bother to offer
up the traditional pin-on
corsage. Others aren't
sure where to rest their
hands while dancing,
some girls report. "I
think a girl should look
more princess-like," says Adam Hansen, an 18-year-old high-school senior
from Wood Dale, Ill. "The pictures would look better with a nice full dress."
Designers peg the racy look to pop stars like Britney Spears and Christina
Aguilera, both famous for provocative outfits. One two-piece prom dress is
even dubbed "Genie in a Bottle," after the pop single that launched Ms.
Aguilera's career two years ago.
Prom watchers say girls aspire to a different style than they did in years past.
"Instead of looking to be Cinderella, they're looking to their rock-star idols,"
says Annemarie Iverson, editor-in-chief of teen magazine YM, who says she
disapprovingly inserted a line in this year's prom special issue saying
"un-dressing like Britney Spears" was "out."
Says the 37-year-old Ms. Iverson: "It sounds old-fashioned, but a sense of
appropriateness is really a key lesson for young women."
Clearly, many teens like the minimalist look. Stocking her stores with corset
tops and strapless ballgowns, formal wear designer Jessica McClintock says
she is having one of her best years in some time. But she also says some
customers think the cleavage-baring styles are stepping over the line. "We got
an awful lot of letters from parents and kids who said, 'You know, we were
just looking for something simpler,' " she says.
Typically known for her more-modest designs and use of chiffon and satin,
Ms. McClintock herself admits she has been seeing a lot of "really trashy stuff"
in catalogs, especially two-piece styles with bra tops and skirts cut far below
the navel.
A group of about 20 high-school girls in Kansas got so fed up with the lack of
modest choices that one complained to customer service at a Nordstrom Inc.
store in Overland Park. To the group's surprise, Nordstrom executives invited
them to explain what styles they would like to see.
For four months, the girls -- all members of a Kansas City-area church youth
group -- combed through magazines and even sketched their own designs.
Some asked seamstresses to make the gowns, which included styles in red
chiffon, white eyelet and purple satin. Most of the designs were long gowns
with covered shoulders, higher necklines and low or no slits.
"I feel more comfortable being a little more covered up," says 16-year-old
Annie Kershisnik. "But I don't want to wear a grandma dress."
After their fashion show last month, the Nordstrom executives told the girls
over lemonade and cookies that their buyers would look for more demure
styles. "I think they had a lot of great ideas," says Lynn Brooks, a regional
merchandiser who attended the presentation. "It kind of confirmed what a lot
of young girls want out there: trendy, but maybe not so bare and strappy." As
word of their presentation spread, the girls say they have received hundreds of
letters and e-mails in support.
Some retailers say they are seeing interest in more-glamorous gowns, spurred
by actresses like Julia Roberts and Renee Zellweger at this year's Academy
Awards. Ms. Roberts's vintage black-and-white Valentino gown was a big hit
with teen girls, and designers say they expect a classy look to grow in
popularity for next year's prom.
Still, some of the provocative dresses are selling well. The two-piece gown,
with its bikini-style top and full skirt, has been something of a hit, retailers
report. Vanessa Gouldburn, 17, wore a lavender two-piecer to her senior prom
last weekend. "It's not so elegant, and I don't have to be so serious all night,"
says the Houston teen, who doesn't mind prom dresses being more revealing.
"It's cool to get away from the traditional-style prom dresses. A lot of them
could be too plain and boring."
Write to Amy Merrick at amy.merrick@wsj.com
Copyright © 2001 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
