This past Monday, I was walking towards my economics class when one of my friends stopped me and told me news that was hard for me to handle.
“We have to wear long dresses to Red and Whites,” she said, and the first thing that went through my head was “No.”
I understand how this might seem ridiculous, like something you would see @whitegirlprblms write on Twitter, but as a girl in her own little Westport world, I cannot ignore it. Long dresses frustrate me.
It has been a tradition at Staples that senior prom is the only dance where girls wears a long dress. The extended length of our dresses is a sign that our high school years are coming to a close. Requiring long dresses at Red and Whites and the County Assemblies takes away what makes senior prom special.
Quite honestly, I never planned on wearing a long dress to senior prom. I am a five-foot-two 17-year-old. If I wore a long dress I would look like Stumpy from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.”
The president of the County Assemblies claims that the change in dress code was made because the event was turning into more of a “Hollywooddance-party” than a black-tie event.
Although I respect that Red and Whites and Counties is a charity event, the attendants are students in high school. The age of the students and the way that they dress doesn’t reflect their level of respect for the charity and the people in charge.
But this isn’t just about how I would look. Dances aren’t cheap. There’s the ticket to pay for, flowers for your date, getting your hair and nails done, buying shoes and a dress. With this change in length, the price of a dress could double. The average short dress for Counties or Red and Whites used to cost roughly $150. There is absolutely no way I’m paying more for a long dress that I don’t even want.
Furthermore, how are they planning to regulate the length of our dresses once we get to the dance? They traditionally use breathalyzers before students enter the venue so what are they going to do now?
Picture it: students walk in with their group of friends, heading towards a man holding a breathalyzer, the test results are negative and the students move on. Next, a chaperone kneels onto the floor next to female students and whips out a ruler. If your dress is more than three inches above your ankles: you’re out. It will be the new craze at the Fairfield County charity balls: Dressalizing.
