In the last few weeks, social media has had an ongoing debate regarding 2024 prom dresses. One style that appeared this year widely through TikTok was wearing “easter” or “brunch” dresses to prom. These dresses typically fall into the category of long and floral, giving the sense of easter. On the opposite spectrum, traditional prom dresses are sparkly ball gown-style dresses. Although there have been mixed opinions surfacing the internet, the easter dress trend takes away the true meaning of prom.
Fashion repeats itself nearly every 20 years. For example, the “easter” style dress we are seeing now resembles the 1980s prom dress; these consist of ruffles and lots of flowers. When we look back at this era of prom it is completely different and a lazier style of what is most common for high schoolers now. The history behind the 80s style dresses was that they were meant to be “bolder and brighter”, says Milla News. Gen Z tends to follow this saying with many of the style choices made in the past few years.
However, prom dresses from the ’80s are not the only style Gen Z adapted to; within the last 2 years, we have seen a large resurgence of jeans, music, hairstyles, and much more. Although many teens have taken a strong interest in many of these, the 80’s prom dresses should stay in that era.
Prom has always been known to be one of the most special nights of high schoolers’ lives. With this, it is only fitting to come out with an extravagant fit; many girls go above and beyond to feel the most beautiful they can on this special day. This means that many girls end up purchasing high-end lavish dresses to impress. An anonymous student wrote, “When I think of prom, I think of extravagant dresses. I think of a special day that is filled with over-the-top things.” In a poll, 73.7% of students said they feel the same way that these 80s-style dresses take away the true meaning of prom.
WHS senior stated, “I feel like it takes away from what prom has been hyped up to be.”
On the other end of this debate, some believe that there is not an issue with 80s-style easter dresses for prom. Junior Aliya DeJesus stated, “I think the dresses are cute, they are less expensive and easier for people to find and afford.” The price differences between these dresses are also debatable. Easter dresses are typically much more cost-effective than the traditional prom dress. At popular online boutiques, the average dress price for the traditional prom style is around $550 whereas the easter style averages about $120. For many, price is a deciding factor when choosing a dress.
At the end of the day, buying fancy dresses and going all out for prom is a part of the tradition. Easter dresses can be worn for many occasions where traditional prom dresses are not welcomed; this is what makes the dance so special. You only get one dance to dress up in big sparkly ball gown dresses, whereas with easter or brunch dresses you can wear to events such as church, family functions, graduation, etc. Along with this, men will continue to dress in suits and ties even though girls are dressing down in the easter style.
Senior Preston Sornig states, “I feel like the easter dress trend isn’t a good parallel with the formal suit and tie apparel that men are used to wearing.”
With changing trends, the style of prom dresses will constantly shift. For example, girls do not wear the same type of dresses popular in the early 2000s. However, the shift to “easter dresses” degrade the true meaning of prom, and the large tradition of dressing extravagantly should still be widely celebrated.
