Would you let your daughter wear this to the prom? (Barely SFW, I think)

[siberian khatru]

http://www.nypost.com/style/39213.htm

WOULD YOU LET YOUR DAUGHTER WEAR THIS PROM DRESS?

By DANICA LO

January 24, 2005 -- PROM princess or porn queen?

This prom dress is so skimpy, even the designer's CEO wouldn't let his teenage daughter wear it. But the dangerously revealing gown, prominently advertised in Seventeen Prom, YM Prom and Teen Prom, and on sale in a Midtown shop, is a top seller for the company this season.

"I was shocked when I first saw it, but now it's one of our top 20 dresses nationwide," says Nick Yeh, the CEO of Xcite, the Stafford, Texas, company that designed the dress and some 200 other styles this season.

"I have a 15-year-old daughter and, no, I would not recommend she wear this dress.

"As a businessman," he adds, "I'm not judging what a teenager should wear or not wear. It's up to the parents to decide for their own children."

In fact, some shops in smaller cities require girls to bring in parental permission slips to buy the dress, Yeh told The Post.

At Elite Designs, a formal shop in Midtown that has the barely-there gown on a mannequin, owner Surinder Nagpal says, "We've gotten a few calls about that dress. Originally, I wasn't going to stock [it], but my sales associate told me that girls would want it, so we're stocking it in black and red."

So far, says Helen Rodriguez, Nagpal's sales associate, no one has bought the $495 gown - but it just arrived.

"Our biggest sellers are still the traditional princess ball gowns, but sometimes a parent will come in with their daughter and will buy her whichever dress she wants," Rodriguez said.

"If my daughter had the body to wear it, I'd let her!"

It's too early to tell how many girls in New York City will buy the dress, but those who do may have a hard time getting through the prom door.

While it's up to individual school administrators to rule on prom fashions, the Board of Education maintains a disciplinary dress code that prohibits "wearing clothing or other items that are unsafe or disruptive to the educational process."

Lisa Maffei-Fuentes, principal of Christopher Columbus High School in The Bronx, bans "anything that resembles the famous [green Versace] J.Lo dress."

"I personally have to check every dress," says Maffei-Fuentes. "Breasts must be entirely covered and there should not be any cutouts in the bodice.

"On the night of the prom, we have chaperones at the entry looking at every dress. We also provide needle, thread and pins to close up holes and fix dresses to the appropriate length," she says.

"This is for their own protection. We're there to help them experience the prom as a wonderful, dignified evening."

Parents who saw pictures of the dress were shocked.

"It's absolutely too much," said Tal Mandler of Woodmere, Long Island, whose daughter, Dana, is 13. "It is very provocative and does not suit the occasion or the age."

"What happened to the rest of it?" wondered Hilda Salazar, whose 17-year-old daughter is a high school senior in Brooklyn.

Asked whether she'd allow her daughter to wear the dress to prom - or if she'd allow her 19-year-old son to date a girl who did - Salazar answered with a resounding no.

Students at Stuyvesant High School were just as appalled.

"Our school doesn't have a dress code, but I don't think any girls would wear that to prom," said senior Mary Zhang.

"How would you wear it, anyway? Double-sided tape doesn't last all night."

Senior Daniel Belu and junior Katie Hammond laughed out loud at the sight of it.

"I wouldn't want my girlfriend to wear this - at least not in public," Belu said.

"I don't think any girl would wear this to a prom. She'd step on her dress on the dance floor and everything would just fall out!"

Most of the students we spoke to were primarily concerned with practicalities. "You couldn't dance in that dress - actually, you couldn't do anything at all," says junior Vivian Healey.

"If you wore that to prom, you'd be falling out of it all night," says senior Angela Cho. "There's also hardly any material. I can't believe it costs $400. You could make it yourself if you really wanted to."

Other students expressed aesthetic concerns. "I don't think anyone would wear this to the prom. The dress looks kind of whore-ish," says junior Emma Herr.

"This dress would look great at a prom if the model in the picture wore it," says senior Vlaz Ermant, "but we don't have any girls like that at our school."

[crossbow]

Originally Posted by Phobia

You can't, which is why you do the best you can when you have some control and let her live her life. If you're an overbearing control freak with your children, you will not win. I lived the evidence of that.

So true. If you raised 'em right, you got no issues like this by the time they are 15 years old. A little rebellion is good too. So I don't freak when it happens. Its just their way of building confidence before they take on the responsibiliy of adulthood.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by Manila-Chief

Would I allow my daughter? NOT if I could help it. But, I think some of you guys are just talking big talk. The real question ought to be ... in this day and age how do you prevent your daughter from wearing it if she so desires?????

Threaten to sell her into prostitution. And if that doesn't work, lock her in her room and make her listen to "Wham" until she breaks...

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by stevieray

He's been here since 2001.

YOU are the noob.

Indeed.

[PastorMikH]

Originally Posted by Manila-Chief

Pastor Mike, We've only spent about 6 months every 4 years in the States over the last 29 years ... talking about rude awaking in fashion .... or is it lack of fashion? Shocking!!!

Someone mentioned it is no worse than a swim suit. I can't believe how little "decent" girls wear these days. But, I guess from a practical point of view ... if it's okay in the pool/beach why is it not okay at the prom.

Would I allow my daughter? NOT if I could help it. But, I think some of you guys are just talking big talk. The real question ought to be ... in this day and age how do you prevent your daughter from wearing it if she so desires?????

Actually, on the swimsuit bit. First off, granted I'm not in as many locations to see such things, but I haven't seen swimsuits quite like that. Second of all, Proms are supposed to be formal affairs, I have difficulty thinking that something that revealing would be acceptable in a formal setting.

As for allowing the daughter to wear/preventing her from wearing it. First, prevention starts when they are young. My 12 year old already has a modest mindset and will make comments of dissaproval as to how other girls her age dress. Secondly, if I'm buying a dress that costs several hundred and upward, if I don't like it, I'm not paying for it.

[Manila-Chief]

Originally Posted by PastorMikH

Actually, on the swimsuit bit. First off, granted I'm not in as many locations to see such things, but I haven't seen swimsuits quite like that. Second of all, Proms are supposed to be formal affairs, I have difficulty thinking that something that revealing would be acceptable in a formal setting.

As for allowing the daughter to wear/preventing her from wearing it. First, prevention starts when they are young. My 12 year old already has a modest mindset and will make comments of dissaproval as to how other girls her age dress. Secondly, if I'm buying a dress that costs several hundred and upward, if I don't like it, I'm not paying for it.

When we arrived here girls would wear jeans and pull over shirts over their swim wear. They were ultra modest. Now??? I guess they have seen too many American movies and T.V. shows. I don't go swimming often but just walking by the pool at the Polo Club causes a red face at times. There was a multi-national swim team there once.... rather revealing... The 80 year old M.D. who invited us was eating it up.

But, mostly my info comes from watching T.V. programs and movie reviews.

I fully agree about raising them correctly. Thankfuly my daughter was raised over here while the culture was more modest. But, having had 3 kids go through the teen years ... well, rebellion does set in at times!!!

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by Manila-Chief

Would I allow my daughter? NOT if I could help it. But, I think some of you guys are just talking big talk. The real question ought to be ... in this day and age how do you prevent your daughter from wearing it if she so desires?????

If you wait till an offending piece of clothing is in the household to express your opinion for the first time, it is too late. My 14 year old daughter would not choose to wear such a dress because we have clearly communicated our values and expectations and she resepects me and my wife enough to value our approval. Our family has talked about clothing issues (and many other far more significant issues) for years. As a result, she has a pretty good idea what is appropriate or not in the way of clothing. If a shirt is made of too thin material, she will just leave it in the store. She somtimes wears shorts and skirts that I think are too skimpy, but on the other hand we have also sent clothing that is too low cut back to the store. We try to strike a balance everyone can live with. Establish the criteria when they first become interested in clothing and be consistent.

Overall, talk to your kids early and often, let them know the expectations in your family, be flexible when possible, and show that you trust them as long as they don't betray the trust. Give them freedom as they are able to handle it. If you have been consistent in your message of love, looking out for their interests, support, family values, etc, all that parenting won't count for nothing in the face of peer pressure and their own hormones.

We still have many years of adolescence to survive, and I'm sure we will hit our share of rough patches in the years to come. Come what may, I think our family will deal with these challenges better having spent so much time and effort in building our family relationships consistently during her early years.

[PastorMikH]

Originally Posted by cdcox

Overall, talk to your kids early and often, let them know the expectations in your family, be flexible when possible, and show that you trust them as long as they don't betray the trust. Give them freedom as they are able to handle it. If you have been consistent in your message of love, looking out for their interests, support, family values, etc, all that parenting won't count for nothing in the face of peer pressure and their own hormones.

[stevieray]

[QUOTE=cdcox]
If you have been consistent in your message of love, looking out for their interests, support, family values, etc, all that parenting won't count for nothing in the face of peer pressure and their own hormones.

QUOTE]

I'm assuming you meant to say haven't been consistent.

[Inspector]

I have 5 sons.

But, I wouldn't let their wives wear that.

Actually, I have no say in the matter.

I probably shouldn't have even posted on this thread.

[ChiefsCountry]

Originally Posted by David.

heh, my prom date wore something like that.

I wish mine did.

[memyselfI]

No and I doubt that any school district would allow it unless it was covered with a couple layers of sweatshirts and an unbreakable lock...

[RNR]

If your daughter wants to wear that dress, you got bigger problems than the prom.

[the Talking Can]

Originally Posted by memyselfI

No and I doubt that any school district would allow it unless it was covered with a couple layers of sweatshirts and an unbreakable lock...

you could loan her a burka...

[PastorMikH]

Originally Posted by memyselfI

No and I doubt that any school district would allow it unless it was covered with a couple layers of sweatshirts and an unbreakable lock...

I doubt the schools are all that concerned, after all, they refuse to teach abstinence-based methods but make condoms readily available.

[memyselfI]

Originally Posted by PastorMikH

I doubt the schools are all that concerned, after all, they refuse to teach abstinence-based methods but make condoms readily available.

Give me a fuggin break. This dress would not pass 99% of the dress codes in schools who have them and implement them...and most of those schools are not routinely handing out condoms to anyone.