Example of a rejected prom gown

Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS

A Catholic high school in Pennsylvania has enraged hundreds of teenage girls after banning dresses that reveal too much skin.

The Daily Mail is reporting that Delone Catholic High School in McSherrystown, Pennsylvania has decided that the only way to preserve “Catholic values and moral integrity” at the school is to demand proper dress at its upcoming prom. This means cute prom dresses that are too short, show too much cleavage and bare midriffs will not be allowed. The problem is that many girls had already purchased their dresses and those who bought outfits that are too revealing will now have to either return them or have them altered.

However, the school insists that these guidelines were spelled out in September and the only change from previous years is a new requirement that girls send in pictures of their dresses in advance.

Parents were also made to sign a memorandum of understanding in September acknowledging that the “Catholic identity of the school is the fundamental priority.”

Administrators at the school say this is a much better way to ensure decency at the prom than to turn people away at the door due to inappropriate dress.

approved prom gown

However, Simone Hostetter, who owns a local dress shop, told local station Fox 43 that parents have been calling to beg the store to take back dresses they bought for their daughters that were not approved for the prom. She’s been getting frantic calls from parents begging, “Please, please please would you exchange her dress it’s not allowed."'

As a result, she has changed her policy to allow returns and has also published pictures of her dresses on Facebook which have been approved or disapproved.

Students and their parents have launched a petition campaign in an effort to get the school to back down on the requirements.

Judging from some of the pictures of dresses that have been disapproved, one can hardly blame the school. These are “Kardashianesque” outfits that leave nothing to the imagination. Why would anyone allow their daughter to present herself to the public in such an outfit?

Unfortunately, the objectification of women by our over-sexed culture has desensitized our girls (and their parents) to what should be viewed as an utter lack of decorum when it comes to prom attire.

Fighting the school’s policy might seem like the right thing to do in the short term, but when you consider the long-term benefits of teaching girls why objectification is wrong and how it can ruin a lot more than just their self-esteem, the $300 for a new dress or alterations suddenly seems like a small price to pay.

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