Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Prom dresses


My granddaughter, Anne, is going to her first prom, and though what she wears is absolutely none of my business, I cannot stop looking, cannot stop making suggestions, cannot STOP.  I have grandma/mother-in-law OCD on this particular subject.  Erica, her mother, is playing me just right: a massive passive aggression.  She nods and smiles at me as I'm jawing away about the subject, but she doesn't ask me any questions and doesn't return my phone calls.  I am pretty sure I did this with my own mother-in-law.  And I get it.  I 
really do. 
My neediness stems in part from the fact that I never had a daughter of my own to push around.  I can see God's wisdom in not allowing me to have a daughter.  She would be living in Kuala Lampur and sending me jaunty emails, knowing she was a safe distance from my prying.

Anyway, if you're going to prom these days, you can A) look like Cinderella at the Ball or any other Disney character by buying a dress from an LDS retail outlet like "ETERNAL."  Gag me.
Or B) you can go looking like a ho.  You can't imagine how many ho dresses there are out there for teenage girls.  (And even in the LDS ads, the models are looking into the camera with ho-ish looks).   My own choice is the one below, but I have no confidence in my own taste anymore.  I know I'm stuck in the early sixties, have never moved beyond Talbots. I know I don't get it.
And I hate that.  I really really hate it.

15 comments:

SWILUA said...

I second your dress choice. Very elegant and classy.

dede said...

I like the one you chose Louise.
However, I can't see Rian choosing that and so by association I can't see Anne choosing it either.
Here is where I have made the compromise with Ri. I insist it have some kind of sleeve (no strapless or spaghetti strap), she gets to have it just above knee length. She seems to be ok with that.
Because if I had my way it would be long sleeved and down to the floor (does that sound a little FLDS?) Eeks!

camille said...
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camille said...

i completely agree. i'm having the time of my life trying to find a wedding dress that is modest but doesn't have the cheesy LDS-princess look. i HATE it.

i actually like your taste quite a bit, and you should check out this website. HOURS of entertainment.

http://vintageous.com/

p.s. my word verification is "nersubb"

Rachel said...

I always wanted to send home dress suggestions I found in Boston, because the less ho-ish dresses always stayed on the rack and at some point Macy's would mark them down so ridiculously low that I couldn't stand it. However, niether of my younger sisters trusted my taste enough to say "Ok send me the cheap dress you found." Oh well. Go ahead and live vicariously through others. When Noelle is old enough for proms you can give us your two cents.

Gold-E said...

Compromise: go sleevless (different from strapless or spaghetti-strap). Certainly not ho and definitely not eternal, but completely appropriate for prom, and entirely modest (not to be confused with "temple ready").

lulu said...

I would have loved to find a dress like the one you chose. Now that I look back at prom, and all the dresses that I gave to Goodwill,I realize that spending my hard earned money on a prom dress was wasted. On the other hand, I felt beautiful for one night.

C. C. Fawson said...

I say let her go looking like a ho! Your only young once.

ann cannon said...

I do like the pink dress, actually.

Did I ever tell you that Becky and I (after we were married) used to try on ugly prom dresses and take our pictures in the dressing rooms? Good times.

I'll go try on ho dresses with you anyday.

Anne said...

Do I have to go to prom? Maybe I'll just go naked.

WWWD? (Sniff.)

I found a dress. I do like the one you picked out. Mine is on the same website. Since I'm ordering it over the internet I'm scared dress is too big, the shape will be weird, or my boobs won't fill it up.

I'm glad you're so into this dress thing. But I'm warning you, my family will be gone prom weekend and YOU will be the one putting up with my anxiety attacks.

Lisa said...

I like the one you picked! I would wear it now but I have to say probably not to Prom. I was a punk in high school though.
I agree with Gold-E's comment. I think it's okay to go sleeveless with a thick strap. Many of my dresses were like that and I didn't think I looked like a ho. You know my mother wouldn't have let me out of the house if I did.

TomKat said...
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TomKat said...

This post made me laugh out loud.

And by the way...I don't recall ever hearing about cheap dresses from Boston. hmm...

Anonymous said...

Hi, new to your blog and I must say that I love the way you think (and write)!!
I agree with you on the prom dress issue. LDS dresses have "0" fashion! We have had to search high and low for dresses we loved and then had them altered for appropriateness. Usually spending an obscene amount of money. Good luck to your grand-daughter! I would love to see what she comes up with if she will let you post it.

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