Prom Dress Gender-Biased Rules Spark Controversy

One high school’s prom dress code prompted a petition in protest. Photo by iStock. 

In anticipation of prom season, one high school has outlined a dress code that has launched an online petition in protest.

Delone Catholic High School in Pennsylvania posted its dress code on its website earlier this month, which states that all students must be “dressed in gender-specific formal wear” and that all girls planning to attend the May 1 prom must submit a photo of their gown for pre-approval.

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“This dress code has been established to help make your prom meet the values of Christian leadership. All young women and men in attendance, whether a member of the Delone Catholic student body or a guest of a Delone Catholic student, need to be dressed in gender-specific formal wear. Students wearing inappropriate attire (as deemed by the Prom Committee and/or Administration) will not be permitted into the prom,” school officials wrote in the announcement. “Women’s gowns may not be extremely short, have an extremely low cut front or back, have any excessively high cut slits, have overly revealing midriffs, or be inappropriately revealing — giving  the illusion of nudity. Gentlemen must be in formal attire: tuxedo or complete suit coat, dress pants (no shorts), dress shirt, and tie. All young women planning to attend the Delone Catholic prom, whether a member of the Delone Catholic student body or a guest of a Delone student, will need to submit a photo of the gown that will be worn to the prom for pre-approval. This must be done prior to purchasing prom tickets.”

In an online petition posted to Change.org last week, parents protested the guidelines, specifically calling out that they weren’t posted until March 13, after many parents had already bought their daughters non-refundable gowns. “We as the paying customers of Delone have been notified about antiquated and unreasonable restrictions imposed on the formal wear for the May 2015 prom,” wrote Delone parent Rebecca Reck. “We have not been given a set of guidelines in a reasonable amount of time. Guidelines imposed are subjective, non-specific, and are up for interpretation.”

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Officials at Delone Catholic responded in a Facebook post: “Delone Catholic High School administration has the responsibility to ensure that Catholic values and moral integrity permeate every facet of the school’s life and activity. …The principles in these guidelines have remained steadfast for the past 23 years. The only change this year is the requirement of young women to submit photos for review by prom moderators.” (Neither Reck nor Delone Catholic officials responded to Yahoo Parenting’s request for comment.)

Supporters of the petition, which got 255 virtual signatures but has since been closed, spoke out online against the dress code. “The gender specific dress code is appalling,” wrote Delone Catholic alum Emily Sheahan. “The dress-code guidelines are discriminatory and create undue stress according to a student’s perceived gender,” added Tara Mueller. “Forcing people to wear ‘gender [specific]’ clothing is absolutely insulting and may have significant negative impacts on the minds of students who are suffering with their genders and identity,” wrote Emma Patterson.

The new rule that girls must have gowns pre-approved is causing financial stress to families, says Simone Hostetter, owner of Simone’s Unlimited Bridal & Day Spa, where many Delone Catholic students buy their dresses. “My dresses are usually non-refundable but I’ve made a special exception for girls at Delone,” she tells Yahoo Parenting. “Dresses that used to be okay seem not to be okay now, like dresses with nude lining that cover girls up but give the illusion of nudity.”

According to Hostetter, who has been selling prom dresses to Delone Catholic students for 20 years, female students have to submit front and back photos wearing the dress, and approval is being given on a case-by-case basis. “I spoke to the dean and supposedly at the time of the dance they will have the pictures of all the dresses lined up, and they are going to police the girls to be sure they are all wearing the dresses that were approved.”

In the meantime, Hostetter says parents are adjusting so their kids can attend prom — even if they don’t agree with the rules. And while Delone Catholic officials say these rules have been in place for more than 20 years, supporters of the Change.org petition say that may be reason why it’s time to reconsider. “I’m signing because these ‘guidelines’ discriminate against the LGBTQA community,” wrote supporter Aisha Bucanelli. “This alienates those who do not ‘fit’ into this small-minded, ‘gender-specific’ dress code from attending this milestone event, one that all students should be allowed to attend, no matter their gender, or lack thereof. These gender-specific dress codes are outdated and no longer reflect the progressive society we live in.”

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