Body image during prom season
April and May, designated as “prom season” for high school students, traditionally leaves many teenage girls scrambling to find an outfit that makes them feel special. In my experience, while scrolling through websites in search of my “perfect” dress, I noticed a severe lack of diversity among each brand’s models. Dress after dress, every woman looked the same—tall and thin. This left me feeling self-conscious; I didn’t resemble the models I repeatedly viewed.
After a few weeks, I found a dress that I loved and purchased it. Yet, I was filled with worry. I wondered if I would actually like how the dress looked on me, and not just how it looked on the model. I found myself searching for reasons why the dress wouldn’t work for me: “I tend to be in between sizes,” I told myself, “I can’t try the dress on in-person,” and “This color washes me out.”
While an increasing number of brands advertise their apparel with a diverse set of models, most brands still have a long way to go. Seeing the same race and body type in fashion harms people’s body image, especially impressionable adolescents. Something has to change.
Prom dress shopping is especially difficult for non-standard size individuals. The fashion industry caters to standard-size people. Clothing and other apparel frequently neglects the needs of these individuals, such as extended sizing. With that, brands often completely ignore a large demographic of customers. This can prevent plus-size, tall, and petite people from having a positive experience while shopping.
A study conducted by The International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology, and Education found that the average size of a woman in the United States is a size 14, but some of the most popular clothing stores only carry up to a size 10 or 12. For example, Lulu’s, a popular prom dress shop, only carries up to a size 10. This is unacceptable.
In addition to fashion exclusivity, social media can negatively affect body image during prom season. A survey distributed by The Mental Health Foundation concluded that 1 in 5 young adults feel that images on social media harm their self-esteem. Seeing filtered and potentially photoshopped photos and videos of classmates on prom night is no different—these images set an unattainable standard for what we will look like in our own photos.
To combat this negativity, I found looking at reviews and viewing different body types in the same outfit extremely helpful. Seeing the dresses on non-airbrushed people helped me get a better picture of how the dress might look on me. Additionally, I recommend buying formal wear off of websites that accept returns, and those with an extensive size range, such as Macy’s or Dillard’s.
Shopping for prom is difficult for those who struggle with body image. It takes time to find an outfit that truly makes you feel special—don’t get discouraged.
