Finally, after weeks of anticipation, you get that notification on your phone; your order has just arrived! As soon as you get home, you tear open the package, slip the dress on, and step in front of the mirror. But you hate it. One of the dresses fits weird around your chest. Your mom says the other one is too revealing. That one looks like something for Sunday brunch, not prom, and the color looks nothing like it did online, it completely washes you out.
I do believe that prom dress shopping has the potential to be a fun experience. It is a canon event for many teenage girls. I can picture dressing rooms filled with laughter, a little bit of struggle, and then the moment of relief when you find the perfect one. But with more clothing brands selling exclusively online, that experience has become a nightmare for many young girls.
The days of walking into an actual store, grabbing a dozen dresses, and trying them on before you buy them, are almost completely gone. Now, prom shopping is a gamble. You scroll through endless websites, pick a dress that might look good in person, and hope that the reality matches the perfectly edited model photos. Spoiler alert: It wont. Online brands know exactly how to manipulate the lighting and angles in their photos to make you think you think you will love it. Somehow, they make you forget that you’re shopping for a dress and not someone’s body. Additionally, with so many different options and thousands of different stores, it just gets so overwhelming to even begin your search.
If you do manage to find one of the few remaining in person stores left on the planet, be prepared to leave with an empty pocket because most dresses start at around $500. If you ask me, paying that much for something you’ll wear once is just ridiculous.
Even worse, many online retailers make returns nearly impossible. Most of them only offer store credit, forcing you to settle for something else from the same brand. Others don’t allow returns at all, leaving you stuck with an overpriced dress you’ll never wear because you hate it. Also, let’s not forget the sizing debacle, one store’s small is another’s extra large, making it nearly impossible to get the right fit without multiple orders and even more money wasted on shipping.
Prom is supposed to be a special night, but the stress of finding a dress shouldn’t take away from the excitement. Sure, actual stores may not have the variety or prices that online shops do, but at least they offer the comfort of trying before buying. If brands want to continue shifting toward online only sales, they at least need to start adapting flexible return policies. Similarly, in person stores need to stop taking advantage of all of us teenage girls and lower the prices on their dresses. Otherwise, the dream of finding the perfect prom dress will just continue to feel like a nightmare.