Teen Refuses To Go To Prom After Mom Tries To Force Her To Wear Her Sister's Recycled Dress
She argues that it does not match her prom's theme or her boyfriend's outfit.
HASPhotos / Shutterstock A teenage girl is anything but excited about her upcoming prom because her mom is trying to dictate what she should wear.
The girl wants to wear something that matches the theme of her prom and balances out what her boyfriend is wearing. Her mother claims that money is tight and proposes a different idea.
The girl’s mother requested she wear her sister’s hand-me-down prom dress since she couldn’t afford to buy a new one.
The 17-year-old girl shared her dilemma on Reddit, revealing that her mother is upset with her after she refused to wear her sister’s old prom dress to her own prom.
According to the girl, her sister’s dress does not go with the theme of her prom, and it wouldn’t match her boyfriend’s outfit.
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However, her mother’s reason for not wanting to buy a new dress is one that many families may encounter during this prom season. “My mom told me that she didn't have enough money to pay for my dress and that my sister's dress was the only option,” the girl wrote.
“I told her that I could use the money from my savings to pay for my own dress, but she told me that she didn't want me to do that because she wanted me to save my money.”
Since the girl couldn’t get the dress of her choosing, she decided to skip prom altogether, to her mother’s dismay.
Now, the girl claims that her mother is upset with her, calling her “selfish” and saying she is acting unfairly.
“She's mad at me right now and told me that I'm hurting her feelings by choosing not to go, which I don't necessarily see how,” the girl wrote.
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She also does not understand why her mother will not let her dip into her savings on this one occasion to buy herself the dress of her dreams.
Still, she asked others if she truly was in the wrong and if she should go to prom for her mother’s sake.
While most people sympathized with the girl’s mother, they believed she shouldn’t stop her daughter from buying a dress with her savings.
“She's being unreasonable. You should use your money as you please,” one Redditor commented. “But if you don't go, you wouldn't have missed anything anyway. Proms are overrated.”
“I can understand your mom feeling bad that she can’t provide the full experience for you, but she’s also being unreasonable here,” another user wrote.
“It's not her fault if she can't buy you a dress; times are tough for a lot of people. She should let you buy one out of your savings, though,” another user added.
Even though most people validated the teen's feelings, they still attempted to view the situation from her mother’s perspective.
“Your mom feels badly because she understands that senior prom is so important at your age. But she also doesn’t want you to spend your savings on a dress that you’ll wear for just a few hours when life after high school is crazy expensive, and she might not be able to help you as much financially as she would like,” one Redditor noted.
“She also likely feels that by giving her an ultimatum you’re trying to make her feel bad or that you’re trying to guilt her into buying a different dress. That’s, of course, not what you’re doing, but your mom already feels guilty, and that is coloring her perspective of the situation.”
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The dilemma of the girl and her mother is one that many American families encounter. The prom experience includes the cost of a dress or suit, tickets, limo rentals, hair, make-up, and photos.
According to Visa, the average parent with a high schooler attending prom will spend roughly $807.
Luckily, if you cannot afford a brand-new dress, there are thrift stores where you can get a prom dress for a reasonable price, and even online rental sites where you could rent a dress for the night, saving yourself hundreds of dollars.
Although we may tell our teens that prom is only one night, to them, it signifies the end of their high school journey and symbolizes the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
For some, it is the last time they will be able to socialize with many of their friends before they head off to college and embark on different life paths.
The memories created during prom night often become cherished moments that they reminisce about for years to come.
They deserve to look and feel their absolute best in attire that they picked out themselves.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.