What'd you wear to your prom? This?
 

Revealing Prom Dresses Horrify Parents
Today" anchor Katie Couric asked Nick Yeh, the CEO of Xcite, how the line of extreme prom dresses came about. Yeh, who said he would never let his own 15-year-old daughter wear one of the dresses, said the new line came about accidentally when a model wore the wrong dress at a prom fashion show in Texas.

"After the show, we got a great response," Yeh said. "It became the No. 2. best-selling dress from the show, so we put it in the line." Some of the dresses are so revealing that dress shops are insisting that girls show parental permission slips before allowing them to buy them.

"It is the value, decision and choice of the young lady and their parent," Yeh said. "As somebody in business in the fashion industry, I need to provide for the demand of the public."

The reaction of parents to the new line was unanimous.

"That reveals a little bit more than a high school girl should reveal," one mother said.

"That's a little too much for a young girl," a father said.

"It's not appropriate for someone to wear to her prom -- a 16- or 17-year-old daughter," another man said. Couric asked Amy Barnett, an editor at Teen People Magazine, if the Xcite dresses were indicative of a new, trashy trend in teen fashion.

"This honestly is not the trend," Barnett said. "Most teens look to celebrities for their fashion cues. If you think about the recent Golden Globes, all the celebrities looked elegant and classy. It was a much more classic look."
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Some of the dresses:
http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0125/4128907_320X240.jpg
http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0125/4128910_320X240.jpg
http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0125/4128911_320X240.jpg
The rest of the dresses
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Would you wear such a dress back when you went to the prom? Is there a trend towards teens dressing trashier? Are stores appropriate in asking for a "permission slip" before selling one of these dresses to a teenager?

Discuss

WOW! Sassy! My Mom would've killed me! It would have been "Carrie" all over. Times change though and I'm an old fart now. I have no kids, so I can't imagine what I'd say to my hypethetical 17 year old daughter. Her hypethetical Dad wouldn't like it one bit though!
It's not the clothes anyway. It's how much she respects herself and how she conducts herself. I do wonder how all the 17 year old boys would be able to hide their raging hard-ons though...

My daughters are past prom age or needing my permission for anything, but there isn't a chance in hell I'd let them out of the house in one of those dresses when they were prom age.

Of course, if my wife wanted to wear one ...

From a man's (who is not a father and has no intention to become one anu time soon) standpoint, this is the most pressing issue. Are males expected to shut off their biological processes because females decide to make fashion statements? ;;>_>

My mom would have kicked my ass if I'd even ASKED to wear something like that. At the school I went to, which was in a very conservative area, if someone had shown up in a dress like that they wouldn't have been admitted. I don't think those are appropriate for a high school prom.

Seeing things like this makes me thankful that I had boys! I'll be spared the old "You're not going out dressed like that" conversation.

Sadly, some of those are so bad I could see the potential need for a "You're not going out with someone dressed like that" conversation instead.

I'm quite certain though, that had my prom date worn such a thing, that I would have thought it was the greatest thing ever and would have eagerly anticipated the congratulations of my friends. Isn't it funny how a few years and the responsibility of your own kids turns you into a hypocrite? :D

I wish I had had the guts to wear a dress like that...

Some of the the dresses on the are a bit much but really only on the tacky side rather than too revealing...

Isn't the whole point of prom in most peoples' minds to have sex anyway? I don't think the dresses will change anything.

If they wanna wear it, let them wear it *shrug*

I dunno what girl would have the balls to wear that thing tho, one twist and your boobs will move while the dress stays in its position...

but yeah, I don't personally find it to be a very attractive outfit, but I am sure high school girls would kill for it..

but overall, I don't consider this progress, its a prom, not mardi gras :(

Heh, way to put it all in perspective, Suave. Most of them aren't too bad, except for the first two that Mal posted. A bit much for 16 years old, but more likely than not it's hitting a hotel floor later anyways.

I remember in our school, if you ever wore something like that, you were made fun of. That was incentive enough for most people. But also, if you are comfortable wearing clothes like that, then you should wear it. It's your money, your body, do with it any way you want to.

I wouldn't have worn anything like that to my prom; I wouldn't wear anything like that now. At my high school they would not let anyone dressed like that into prom and I think most of the girls are too self concious to wear those out in public.
From the stores' standpoint I think the permission slip is a good idea. They won't have angry parents coming by to return the dress and berate them for selling it to their daughters.

WHOA! I had my prom last year, are you telling me that in less than a year dresses have gotten this skanky!?!? My gosh, that's sad. No one was dressed like that at my prom. Everyone had tasteful dresses on, not this fabric-the-size-of-a-belt-covering-my-boob crap!

http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0125/4128911_320X240.jpg

I went to highschool with a girl who wore a dress similiar to this one to prom. They tried to pull the "Hoochie" card on her for wearing it. Lots of girls were wearing skimpy dresses...a lot of them looked rather elegant though.

Asta!!

I think the dresses are fine. For a high schoolkid? If she has the maturity, individuality and grace to pull it off, why not. The only people making a fuss would probably be jealous girls and their parents anyways soooo,..go for it I'd say. How many people actually give a shit about what people (think)thought of you in high school or any other point in your life for that matter?

I don't see a problem with it. Depending on her age, the first two might be a bit much for a young HS Junior, but I don't see it as such a big deal.

Now the next fifteen people to post can tell me that I wouldn't be saying that if I had kids. Ask me again in 20 years when I do, and I'll probably give the same answer. Maybe our culture will have gotten over its collective fear of the human body by then.

All I can say is that if my girlfriend had tried to wear on of those to our prom, I wouldn't have gone with her, there is a limit to class, and that breaks it. A prom that let girls wear those dresses would become little more than a tittie show, guys would be pulling on the dress when she wasn't looking causing her to fall out and give everyone a good look. Those dresses belong in a tittie bar or on a mature woman who fully understands what she is doing, not a 16-17 year old girl.

And the parental permission slips aren't going to do any good, how hard would it be to forge your parents signature for some one who's never met them?

People are judged by their appearance. That's why the spotlight is always on what someone is wearing......Laura Bush's innaugural gown, the gowns worn by Princess Diana, what your husband is wearing to his job interview, what you are wearing to your job interview, who is on the best and worst dressed lists, what Paris Hilton is wearing (or not), and what to dress your relative in for their funeral. When a high school girl dresses for the prom she looks to her idols for inspiration. Unfortunately, the idols of high school girls are Britney Spears (or someone comparable). So, the girls think that if they dress like Britney, then they will become Britney for an evening. So sad. At one time girls wanted to be Cinderella. Now, they (and I'm not saying all are like this) just want to be sexy. Why are we teaching girls that to be sexy you have to look trashy?

hmmmmm . . . interesting Topic Mal . . .

Parental slips to help kids get their prom dresses?? I shopped for mine with my mom and sis . . . it was an exciting thing . . . Do most people not shop for their prom dress with a family member? Or i guess they would just do it with their friends now . . .

I personally think those dresses are Way out of line for such young individuals . . . inappropriate . . . Those kinds of dresses are GREAT for Adults . . . but a 16-17 year old girl has no business wearing such a skimpy outfit . . . So . . . those dresses are fine and lovely . . But NOT for a prom situation . . . IMHO.

I am only 23 . . . but WOW . . . Times are chaning if that's what they're wearing now . . . :eek:

Why are we forcing such young girls to grow up into Adult Woman so soon . . . Doesn't anyone have a childhood anymore?? :confused: It's sorta sad . . . kids grow up so fast now . . . there is no magaical line to cross anymore into adulthood . . . they turn 13 and bam . . . their having sex and dressing like tiny adults . .. but their MENTAL and EMOTIONAL maturity is still that of a young individual . . . . i think the way girls dress should reflect where they are at in their psychological development . . . just my opinion . . .

good discussion . . .

Sweetpea :)

looks like a pron dress instead of a prom dress :p . Guess most of the guys attending wouldn't mind them, but i dunno many parents who would let it pass. Besides those dresses probably cost a billion dollars for only a fraction of the material.

Revealing or not, they're hideous! My daughter would never want to wear something that gaudy...

Oh yeah and, Cher called, she wants her wardrobe back.

I like the first one....

I think most high schools have dress codes that would not allow a girl to wear something like that though. They would probably get turned away at the door.

Now THAT is a whole different topic. :lol:

On a serious note...I think it's trashy and pathetic and while I'd LOOK at a girl wearing something like that if I was in high school I'd never want to date one that wore something like that.

Personally I put this all on the whole trend of the fashion industry wanting to dress girls up like tramps starting at age 10 nowdays it all started about 5-6 years ago and now you are seeing these kids growing to maturity and the continuing fashion will reflect that. I think this goes beyond the society being or not being afraid of the human body and just goes down to taste. I mean nobody would go into a job interview wearing a pair of cutoffs and a halter top(well maybe for a cocktail waitress position). The prom has always been a semi or fully formal affair and such attaire simply isn't apppropriate for the occasion. But screw me maybe I'm just an old fart at 26 years old.

where the heck did my post go?


did it get canned, or am I just stupid?

The red one looks like ugly leiderhosen.

I think half of all highschool girls show about that much skin (maybe not the first one, but definately the other two) regularly anyway.

The very handsome and talented Clavus reports to me, apparently he googles late into the night looking for prom dresses :) That the story originally reported by the NY Post and Katie Couric on the today show, had the models wearing the first two dresses backwards.

http://wizbangblog.com/archives/004895.php

This was how the dress was supposed to have been worn
http://wizbangblog.com/images/376Lsm.jpg
not this
http://wizbangblog.com/images/stylelede01242005.jpg

The dress worn correctly, to this old broad, still seems too old, and too risque for high school, but having the models wear the dresses backwards, was it a case of the media trying to stir up trouble where there might have been non?

Hmm... the dress worn the correct way is damn ugly. The wrong way looks okay. For some Hollywood star who weighs about 12 ounces walking a red carpet.

Can you imagine how many rape accusations and how many excuses???!!!!

ahaha oh my god that is so preposterous, no offense to any of you guys but you are almost all way out of touch with what high school students are like today. I go to high school at the moment and I can tell you that they are NOT growing up into adults any faster-- if anything they are maturing SLOWER because they have less responsibilities than in times past

and uhm... nobody turns 13 and bam theyre having sex... 13 year olds are 8th graders and some 9th, high school freshmans... and they are not having sex that much, at all

by the way isnt prom only for senior, graduating students? at least it is here... they're all 17/18, some even older

Makes me think those are outfits I'd see at the AVN awards than prom. I envy this generation, I only wish my date wore something like that.

If it wasn't the media trying to stir up trouble, which it may very well be, I think if you can't tell which is the front and which is the back, maybe you shouldn't be buying that dress. If you still need guidance when you dress yourself, you shouldn't be able to let it all hang out like that. :rolleyes:

Nah, my high school lets juniors go as well. And the Junior/Senior can bring a sophmore/freshman if they want, but a sophomore/freshman can't go without a junior/senior date.

ick. I dont care if it was modeled backwards or not...its hideous!
I have to agree with Pinkie....give Cher a call, let her know we found her costumes :P lol

I think they could've been stolen from the waredrobe dept of Star Trek.

Nice dresses. No 16 year old would have to balls to wear it though. They probably can't even fill it out ayway.

Well I gues you've got a point there.

Haha by the way did you guys catch what he said about being in the fashion industry business:
"As somebody in business in the fashion industry, I need to provide for the demand of the public."

How can someone be any more clear than that? That's what's wrong with our society. We don't give a fuck about values, decency, morals, or virtues!! We just wana make a buck! Heyyyy it's business! I have to provide for demand. :crazy:

And that kind of thinking just decays our society, and this kind of thinking diffuses into the youth and then we wonder what went wrong? I don't know, my opinion is that we are ruining today's youth by exposing them to all the wrong things for the wrong reasons and then it's as if we expect them to know better, and it's obvious that they need to be taught not to do these things.

I don't know, I'd like to hear what you guys think.

My prom dress was pretty skimpy and I received a ton of flack from my parents and all the administrators and chapperones at the dance. My guess is that the complaints were largely in part because I'm a dude. Plus, I didn't bother to shave my legs and my dress was cut so high that my balls were in plain sight all evening long, and wow was it a cold night.


Really though, I'm a young, red-blooded guy that can't help but appreciate a scantily clad woman every so often. But, even I am disappointed at how things are progressing as far as "fashion statements" by today's youth. My prom was just a few years ago, and I remember seeing girls there who had dresses with slits so high you could see way more than anyone bargained for. Some girls were wearing what looked less like a gown and more like a napkin and strung together with a couple shoelaces. I can only imagine what the dresses look like now--but I don't, because that would be both wrong and illegal.


All I can hope for is that this is not a continuing trend and that being graceful or elegant becomes fashionable again. Also, I pray to heaven that if the trend does continue, that I never have daughters. Also, I hope that my sons aren't like me and decide to actually wear a tux to their formals...I caused enough embarrassment to my family to last several generations. Heh.

EVERYONE:
Me: Old Woman 23 year old .......... stands corrected . . . :D

Thank you rainheart . . . I was merely basing my opinion off of media things i have read AND the fact that girls dress like Porn stars where i live at the young age of 12 and 13, which i think anyone would find inappropriate . . . But i am SO glad to hear that i am wrong . . . so THANKS!!

Sweetpea :)

the dresses are a bit much for my personal tastes, but they are very similar to gowns several girls wore to prom when i was in hs--10 years ago. we had one girl who had a dress more revealing than the ones showed here. she had a flimsy netting that covered parts of it--but it was flesh colored so it just made her look more nude. barely enough sequins and beads to cover her breasts and i'm not joking when i tell you the back dipped low enough you could see the top of her ass crack. she couldn't wear hose of any kind because the slit was too high for thigh highs and the back was too low for regular pantyhose. she also wore no panties because she couldn't find any low enough. i thought it was a bit mature even at the time, and never really thought she had the body to pull off such a gown either...but *shrugs* she loved it and her mom helped her pick it out.

hs must have changed a lot from when i was there. while i will agree that maturity may be on the decline (in general) that hasn't changed sexual activity.

any doubts i may have once had about teenage sex were put to rest after a single summer volunteering at planned parenthood. i had 12 and 13 year old girls with more sexual partners than i had years to my life.

even when i was in junior high (grades 7-9) there were lots of sexually active kids. it may not have been the majority, but it certainly wasn't uncommon.

The only dress that looked remotely reasonable out of that collection was #8 but I just don't have the legs for this one :D .....

http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0125/4128915_320X240.jpg

With all due respect to Mr. Selfdestruct I would not let a daughter of mine who is high school aged out of the house in one of these. To me this is not about a fear of the human body. It's about instilling a little self respect and common decency in your daughter. I would also do my very best to raise her to adulthood with enough sense to be able to choose her wardobe appropriately for the occasion. If strolling the red carpet in holywood happens to be an occasion then go for it....but remember to shave those legs!

How much do you wanna bet that they'll wear it backwards anyways?

At my old high school, there were two "divisions" of girl (There was some grey area inbetween). The dumb, skanky girls, and the smart, nicely dressed girls. Before I moved, I saw three senior pregnancies and one junior pregnancy (and this was at a small high school! My class was only about 100 students). Maybe that's not 12 years old, but a junior is 16/17 years old. The school that I'm at now seems to be a bit smarter in that I haven't heard of any pregnancies. And girls seem to dress a little more conservatively. Just my observations.

Actually Slavakion you're right, now that they showed it being worn backwards on TV, more kids probably will wear it like that. Nice, the media tries to cause a stir amongst parents and ends up causing a new fashon statement.

I agree even if you take out the dress which is being worn backwards, the others are still too revealing. I'm not saying that I think kids should be wearing nun's habits, but cover up something, my god.

Last year, in the middle school I went to, there was a sixth grader, a girl about 12 years old, who was pregnant for a SECOND time. When I was in sixth grade, there was a girl in my class who was pregnant. It's not as uncommon as you think.


Now, in response to the dresses... I opted not to go to prom when I was in high school. And if I HAD gone, there is no way in hell that I would have worn those dresses. However, I did go to a couple of semi-formal dances, and I saw several girls in two-piece dresses: a bikini top and a long skirt. Completely inappropriate, IMO.

i like the blue one, i wore something like it to one of my proms....

I saw that on the Today show. I can't imagine anyone from my high school wearing that to Prom! No way... most girls are too insecure about their bodies for that... and maybe where I'm from, we are more traditional, as well. Interesting, though...

I don't know, I'd have to say I haven't heard of many teenage pregnancies. To say that "It's not as uncommon as you think" is true, but in the same respect it's not as common as it's being blown out of proportion to be. Pregnant teens are a minority, and some are truely bad apples. My previous school had a student body of 1700 and I never heard of a teenage pregnancy, and on top of that my new school also has a student body of roughly 1700 and so far no such stories, still. Of course that begs the question "are you in the know?", and at least for my previous school I most definately was.

Citing planned parenthood is a bad example imo, that's like saying "adults are chronic alcoholics, I went to an AA meeting and you'd be surprised how many adults there were chronic alcoholics." Sober individuals without drinking problems just don't go to AA meetings. Now I don't know what kind of doubts you had about sex between teenagers. In fact you just mentioned you had doubts about teenage sex-- but didn't say what those doubts were. That it occurred? Or that it was as frequent as sex between adults?

In my previous post I think I conveyed the wrong idea that teenage sex doesn't occur at 13, or give or take a couple of years. It does, but for a small minority.

Of course this is all relevant to my experience- I think it does have a lot to do with socio-economic status. My peers in high school are from families who are either right above the poverty line (30/40k a year families) to families with better incomes (say 90k a year families, that's a hard thing to point out because you can't go up to them and ask them what their incomes are haha). I would hypothesize it would be worse in the bad neighbourhoods.

But to address the topic posters questions which I should've just done in my first post:
Would you wear such a dress back when you went to the prom?
No, being a guy and all. :p

Is there a trend towards teens dressing trashier?
Yes, imo almost completely due to bad influences by the media combined with horrible parenting (i.e. letting children be exposed to those bad influences).

Are stores appropriate in asking for a "permission slip" before selling one of these dresses to a teenager?
Stores as a business are seeking to make money and don't care. The exception would be the store owners who as individuals refuse the teenager's business which, at least here is percectly legal to do. So to answer wether they would be appropriate in asking for a permission slip, I'd have to say that it's just a way to make it seem like they care...

If parents are actually letting their kids wear these dresses then they shouldn't be surprised that they may be sexually active. Why else wear such a revealing dress, than to look as good as you possibly can for your man or kid-date. Parents aren't doing their job if their daughters are wearing these sex-object dresses!!

i suppose that depends on what you mean by "blown out of proportion." that every teen is having sex? i know that isn't true. that the majority of teens are? well, you'd have to redefine teen, 13-19 is "teen" but i don't think there as many 13 year olds having sex as there are 19 year olds.

teen pregnancy is a horse of a different color. you must be having sex to get pregnant, but having sex doesn't mean that you will get pregnant. birth control is readily available regardless of age.


well, since i was in college at the time, that was pretty much my only involvement with any teens. and planned parenthood is often associated with the younger population but it offers services to women and men of any age. you don't have to be sexually active to use their services, not all of the clients i saw were. do you go to the dentist for check-ups or only when you have a toothache?

and i wasn't saying that all teenagers are having sex, but that it is definetly happening. and when i talked with a few dozen girls (under age 16) in my average sized community who were not only sexually active but had a significant number of partners, it left an impression.

actually, i said that any doubts i may have had, which doesn't mean there were any. i was well aware it was happening and that it wasn't at all uncommon. as frequent as sex between adults? no. as infrequent as sex between 8 year old children? no. this was a hot topic even when i was a teen and i remember writing several school papers on the subject of sexual activity and education among teens for various health and english courses. keep in mind that at the time, we were relying on stats even older than the '95 ones i presented here, but there was still the question of if the media was blowing it out of proportion (and if sex ed was contributing to increased sexual activity).

this is the latest info i could find on the subject http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/04news/teens.htm

they don't discuss sexual activity for those under the age of 15. but as of 2002, 30% of girls 15-17 are sexually active (which was down from 38% in 1995), compared to 31% of boys (down from 43% in '95). the numbers increase for teens 18-19 with girls at 69% (up from 68% in 1995) and boys at 64% (down from 75% in '95).

so a little more than twice as many teens are sexually active at 18-19 compared to 15-19. i may be a little older than you but the '95 stats are a better reflection of what it was like when i was in school.

to state numbers for teens below 15 would be a guess, unless you have more time than i do and wanna find some stats :D at any rate, 15 is still pretty young and 3 out of 10 isn't what i personally would consider a small minority.

also, as i recall from my own teen years, oral wasn't really sex (and neither was anal for that matter). the older i got though, the more likely such behavior was accepted as sexual activity. afaik, no official data exists on any activity other than vaginal intercourse. depending on how a person chooses to view "sexual activity" the stats offered by the nchs could be way off.

my community has a similar status but with a wider range. i went to school with plenty of kids that lived at or below the poverty line (under 20k) as well as those who were from families easily earning 10 times as much. the majority of us fell somewhere in between. right around the 60-80k mark if i were to guess (based off my own family's income level at the time).

*edit* found this link http://www.agi-usa.org/pubs/journals/3229800.html that deals with the subject of oral sex among teens. apparently, there is no accurate statistical data.

In 1988, '89, and '90, which are the three years I attended proms at my school (my boyfriend's senior, and my junior and my senior, and not counting the proms I attended with friends at other schools) I wore black cocktail dresses to each one. At the time, I had a hard time convincing the school administration to allow me to attend in the dresses I chose, since in the late '80s, short tight black adult dresses were not the prom attire of choice. My mom went to bat for me, and I got to wear them. Admittedly, they didn't show as much flesh as those dresses.... the most revealing of them was similar to #8 of the dresses in question.... but it was bias cut at the neckline and the hemline, with the fringe.

I also already had the reputation to go with the dresses, too.... *shrugs* I don't know what I'd do if my own (hypothetical) daughter wanted to wear one, but I'd like to think I wouldn't be a hypocrite. Meh, good thing I don't have (or ever will have) kids, I guess. *grins*

I really don't think a store should need a permission slip for the person. If the dress is inappropriate, they will find out 1 of two ways. Their parents will make them take it back, or they won't be allowed to attend prom. If they pass these little tests, then apparently its appropriate. Personally i wish more girls at my school would wear this stuff but they don't cuz my principles a dick head

I remember at my prom, which was some time ago, dresses like that were not allowed. My daughter will definetly not be wearing anything like that when her prom comes around. Thank God she is only 9 months old right now, and I don't have to worry about stuff like this for some time. The fact that girls today seem to want to grow up so fast does concern me. The girls in middle school and high school today look and act nothing like the girls that I went to school with. Whatever happened to enjoying your childhood and acting like a child?

I don't see a problem with numbers 1, 7, 8, or 10. Look fine to me.

- Undercover_Man

Here are a few more to add to this old thread...

Somehow, posing with your mother makes this ok.
http://www.bestweekever.tv/bwe/image...M%20DRESS2.jpg

Look at all that gold.
http://cm1.theinsider.com/thumbnail/...or_5.12.08.jpg

I think they're actually trying to sell this one...
http://www.thefashionpolice.net/imag...s_orange_2.jpg

And to show that it's not just a trend from the past, here's a story from March in the New York Post. Prom dresses going risqu this year - NYPOST.com

*hides head in sand and pretends that teenagers aren't having sex*

Costume shop had $30 tuxes....hell yeah.

In the article genuinegirly posted, it says the principal doesn't let girls in if they wear an exposing dress. I'm sure most schools are like that, mine is, so they can buy the dress all the want, but they won't get into the prom with it.

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3aJ8Kxqfu3Q/0.jpg
http://cdn3.knowyourmeme.com/i/000/0...jpg?1273395284

Damn, this thread is deader than Vincent Price.

There's a difference between having sex (something most of us did in high school) and looking like a really garish prostitute. I'm all for the first one and the second one is fine when it isn't related to a school function. That and I don't see anybody here attempting to legislate Victoria decorum.

#57 tripped someone's trigger...

That's from genuinegirly's post. Did anyone else see the creepy kid in the background?

And willravel, that "me gusta" picture had me crying.