Prom dresses deemed 'inappropriate' targeted by some schools

A prom night without high school drama? If only! 

A Shelton, Conn. school had made international headlines for banning what it considers inappropriate clothing from its annual prom dance. 

"The dress code bans about 90 per cent of the dresses saying no open backs, no cut outs, no two-piece dresses and no slits," said one livid teen, Danielle Rieder, who was upset she might not be allowed to wear her white strapless, cut-out dress. 

The dress code, which was implemented eight days before prom, sent many teenage girls into a frenzy revamping their dresses for what is considered an important — if sometimes expensive — rite of passage for teenagers. 

"Completely modest dresses are deemed inappropriate and we are told that we will be turned away at the door if we show up in these dresses. Eight days is not enough time to fix anything," Rieder, 17, told CBC News. 

Still, she was one of the lucky few whose dress passed the school's taste police. 

"After an incredibly ridiculous battle, my dress was approved by a committee of at least five of the older teachers at my school," she says. 

The issue of dress code for prom nights has once again raised the question of whether schools should have a say in what their students wear. ​In B.C., many school districts such as the Vancouver School Board have left the delicate issue of dress codes up to individual schools.

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At Richmond's Steveston-London Secondary, students are encouraged to "dress in formal wear, suits or tuxedos and evening gowns, as this is a 'classy and formal' grad event."

Meanwhile, at Semiahmoo Secondary in Surrey, students "must wear clean and tasteful clothing and refrain from wearing inappropriate attire" or "sexually suggestive designs."  

What do you think of a dress code for prom night? Tune into B.C. Almanac Friday at noon on CBC Radio one 88.1FM 690 AM when we discuss this issue.