Prom at my high school is about a month away; the first
weekend in May. I’m a senior, seniors go free, despite my overall dislike for
high school dances as a whole I decided to go. And then almost changed my mind
when I ran into one teeny-tiny little issue: a dress. I needed a dress.
I made the mistake of looking up “prom dresses” in the
Google images search bar. Some of the dresses are really pretty. Most of them
bare far more skin than I would ever consider modest or acceptable. I’m
choosing not to post any pictures of them but you can look them up if you’re
curious.
I went dress shopping with a friend of mine last year when
she was looking for her prom dress, so I know that this isn't just an issue of
the pictures popping up online. I also know that this issue isn't exclusive to
dresses. Shirts that bare the stomach (or dresses that have the stomach open),
open backs, sinking necklines, skintight fits, and short shorts/skirts are
becoming painfully common. I’m sure you've all noticed it. I don’t buy that
kind of clothing, and I don’t buy into the ideas that inspire it. I recognise
that I’m kind of a loner in my generation when it comes to modesty but I really
believe that some things are better left to the imagination. Modesty is my
standard and I can be pretty picky about it.
I don’t want to take the time to detail it right this
second, but maybe in a later post (or you can leave me a comment if you’re
curious now) I can be more specific on what my standards are, because “modesty”
is kind of an ambiguous term. I’m sure some of you can relate, though, when I
say that I have an incredibly hard time shopping for things I’ll actually wear.
Sometimes that can be remedied by a tank-top worn under a shirt that dips too
low, or buying something a size larger than I normally wear. But not always. So
sometimes, you have to get a little creative.
The thought of trying to find a dress almost put me off the idea
of going to prom. In three years of dress shopping with my friends I've found
maybe a handful of dresses that match my ideal of “modesty attire”. Trust me; I've tried. The suggestion “get creative” is a little harder to work around in terms
of formal wear, so I had to do some serious thinking. There were several
factors I needed to consider, and after a bit I came up with a few conclusions:
1. Even
cheap prom dresses are waaaay out of
my price range. Dresses are expensive!
2. I
have trouble finding dresses that I think are comfortable and I can move in.
3. I
can never seem to find a dress that I like.
4. Even
if I find one that’s comfortable and I like, that modesty thing is a serious
issue.
5. When
taking into account all of the above factors, there’s only one real solution: I
needed to make a dress.
Right off, people started telling me I was crazy. I probably
am. But I started sewing yesterday and I really actually think it’s going to
work.
So is this the most brilliant, creative idea I've ever had,
or the craziest? Do you sew? Tell me about some of your projects. How do you
get creative when it comes to dressing modestly with today’s fashions?
~Sheridan
