When thinking about buying prom dresses, it seems like a day of extreme fun, happiness and finding the perfect dress for the night to remember for the rest of your life. But no one ever tells the horror stories and nightmares that prom dress shopping can turn into.
Being a junior and never attending prom before, I had no idea what to expect when I went dress shopping. I thought maybe it would be like shopping at Kohls: you go in, look around and go in the changing rooms.
However, from personal experience, prom dress shopping is nothing like that. Me and a friend decided to go to a nearby boutique. Walking in, I was stumped by the amount of people and dresses. Everything was shoved into a room and it felt like being suffocated. A worker at the desk in front of the store handed us a form to fill out, and then a keychain with five playing cards on it.
Having no idea what to do, we looked around. That’s when we realized that we had no idea what size we were.
Dresses were hung on racks around the store, and on one side there was a wall of mirrors, and a raised floor for girls to look at themselves and judge the dresses. Spotting a friend who was trying on a dress was lucky because there was finally someone who could help in the chaotic store.
Finally finding a close size, I grabbed a few dresses that were of interest and then just stood around, looking at other girls and what they were doing with their playing cards. A busy worker saw me staring, confused and he explained to me what to do with the cards. He unclipped three of the playing cards, put one on each of the dresses’ hangers and took me back into the room.
In the changing room, I placed my bag on the floorand took one of the clear bags off of a teal and nude sequined dress. Looking at it, I had no idea how to put it on. After shoving myself into it, the dress was a bit too big, but I couldn’t tell what I looked like due to there being no mirrors in the room.
In the hallway, a worker zipped up the back and told me to go out in the big room. Not knowing what I looked like, I felt extremely uncomfortable going out into a room of strangers staring at me.
Tripping over the dress, I stared at myself in the mirror. The dress was beautiful, but didn’t fit me too nicely. Not even looking at myself for 15 seconds, a girl my age came up behind me, started pulling the dress to make it tighter and constantly complimenting me.
It may be their job, but to me it felt like a sales campaign. Asking “Do you like it?,” or, “Are you going to get it?”
I have no idea if I liked it enough to buy it. It was the first dress I tried on. I already felt uncomfortable having strangers and their family looking at the sparkly dress, nevertheless having a stranger touching me without asking.
All I wanted to do was look at the dress and talk to nearby friends and get their opinion on it. But the workers just never left you alone.
Running back into the dressing room, I changed into a tight dress, and waited for a friend, but couldn’t find her. Finally, she came out of the dressing room and asked me to come in and look at a dress. Three of the workers simultaneously said that I was not allowed to go into her dressing room. Confused, I apologized and went into the big room again and had the workers being too close for my liking.
After doing this with a few dresses, I decided that I liked one and wanted to take a picture so I could show my mom. After discussing my idea, another worker made her way into the conversation saying, “You’re not allowed to take pictures, it’s to keep the manufacturers and designers safe”. Yet again I apologized, but was still mad and put down my phone.
I decided that I didn’t like any of the dresses, and as I walked out, a worker asked me if I was buying any dresses. Not interested in any, I shook my head no and she told me to bring my mother back sometime.
Forcing a smile, I walked out of the store. I want to love my dress, but I felt rushed, like part of an assembly line. I’d like to go to a more easy-going store with less rules and limits.
Overall, finding a prom dress can be amazing. You can find one that you’re in love with and want to wear it constantly. But before assuming this, be prepared for a shopping nightmare and be sure to pick a place that will suit your desires.