I attended prom back in 1976 looking dapper in my three-piece JC Penney’s polished cotton suit. It was a light tan, and I wore a dark navy blue shirt and striped tie with complementary shades of blue in it. On my feet were the latest and greatest crepe-soled platform shoes. My
date wore a long empire-waist dress in blue floral chiffon that her mother made for her. She looked pretty, and we had a nice time together. Fast forward 34 years, and we see just how much influence technology and the media have in dictating what young women wear to this yearly event.
But then again, society has also changed drastically. By today’s decidedly low standards, what the girls wore back then would seem quaint, old-fashioned, or even downright prudish! It seems like yesterday when the big scandal at the Cambridge High School Junior Prom of 1976 was that my friend Kim not only brought a date from another school but also dared to wear a knee-grazing handkerchief-hemmed disco dress! She was a maverick on the fashion scene and was not fazed by the negative attention. Oh the umbrage taken by school officials and attendees alike because floor-length gowns were the norm. I distinctly remember that the Gunne Sax brand was the must-have that all the girls talked about. This particular brand was known for being pseudo-Victorian looking with lace detail, high collars and very little skin showing. Wow, have times changed.
Over the last few years, I’ve read reports of suspensions, cancellations of events and restrictive dress codes
where prom is concerned. Apparently, Lil’ Kim lookalikes have invaded high schools across the country. One school in Alabama reported that their dress code stipulates that necklines must not plunge below students’ 
breastbones, and hems on skirts must not be higher than six inches above the knee. Does that seem too restrictive for high school students? I think not. It is time to put some class back in our school events whether the students want to. Parents must stop letting “The Girls Next Door” and the sleazy getups on “Dancing with the Stars” skew what their daughters will wear to their prom. I read that one mother actually bought her daughter a dress that she wasn’t allowed to wear on school property. What has happened to sanity and reason when it comes to putting minors in compromising garments and, yes, even promoting it?
I simply can’t get over some of the items available for purchase that are geared to prom-goers. The red 
dress with the sheer cut-outs shown here would suggest that an exotic dancer was in the house. Seriously, who would purchase this for their child? Not only that, but don’t these parents know what their kids are wearing? According to a March 31 New York Post story, a saleswoman at Saks Fifth Avenue said, “I can’t believe that mothers let high school girls buy these dresses for prom.”
I know that I am coming off sounding old and cranky, but enough is enough. What with the show “Toddlers and Tiaras” telling 3 and 4 year olds to shake their booty for the judges or act “sexy," adults are inadvertently helping create the problem. In the same NY Post article, Nathan Vankin, manager of Fiesta Ladies Fashion in Flatbush, Brooklyn, said, “For prom this year girls want short and poufy, or long, tight fitting with everything cut out. The sides are gone, the back is gone, and basically the front is gone.” I get it. He just sells it, isn’t forcing anyone to buy it, and, after all, he has to make a living, too.
There is nothing wrong with letting your daughter choose from the many options available that are both event- and age-appropriate. May I
suggest if your daughter wants to go strapless, fine, as long as it is a straight-across cut that doesn’t reveal too much or any cleavage for that matter. If a long gown has a leg-revealing slit, great, but how high it goes should be left up to the parent, not the child. Also, making sure fabrics aren’t cheap-looking, shiny satin would help. This author also nixes see through stuff for teens, tweens or almost anyone with taste for that matter. Prom was meant to be a formal event for teenagers, not a suggestive make out party for the Jerry Springer set.
Check out the link to appropriate prom dance etiquette. It’s funny and right on at the same time!
