Every single 2000s rom-com and Disney Channel original movie I’ve ever watched has taught me that my entire life has led up to this moment. The all-encompassing, hair-raising, emotionally-charged moment where I arrive at my senior Prom. In theory, I should be arriving at said Prom in a jaw-dropping gorgeous dress that might make it believable that I am, in fact, Radio Rebel. However, finding the dress has proven to be a formidable opponent and my journey has been one of the greatest challenges I’ve encountered in my almost 18 years of life. 

First and foremost, inflation is a terrible disease that prom dresses are not immune to. For reasons beyond my understanding, dress companies believe that $300 is a reasonable  bargain for a see-through dress made out of 100% polyester that feels like a tablecloth from the Dollar Tree. And at the end of the day, no matter how beautiful that House of CB dress is, I am working with a budget that maxes out around $100, rendering a large proportion of the market inaccessible.

After I filter out the $100+ dresses, numerous more problems arise. Despite having clicked on the “prom” section, many companies are stocked with dresses more suited for grown women. Specifically, I am referring to the sky-high slits and, for lack of a better term, boob windows. Perhaps in a few years I will be able to venture out in such dresses; however, as of right now, my parents would never even let me leave my room wearing one. 

After eliminating the more daring designs, we encounter the lack of availability and sizes of online stores. At this point in my life I’ve shopped for six different formal dances and I can count several occasions where I found the supposed “perfect dress” but the store failed to carry my size. And if the store does have my size, online sizing is so unreliable. Just this past year, I have ordered clothing in sizes 00-4. For a dress as important as my prom dress, is it too much to ask for it to be in the right size? 

Now you might raise the question, what happened to in-store shopping? What happened to racks of dresses and the special bonding moment between mother and daughter? Or that moment between friends where you come out of the dressing rooms, each in awe-inspiring, perfect-fitting dresses? Let me tell you, the state of dresses at physical stores is dismal. Small boutiques might offer dreamy princess dresses, but prices will have you paling and exiting the store swiftly. Malls and department stores are equally bleak. Earlier this month, my mom and I braved the mall. In our efforts to be on top of prom dress shopping, we arrived and left with a total of zero dresses. Classic department stores like Macy’s and Nordstrom greeted us with barren formal dress sections while Windsor left us covered in unseemly amounts of glitter. I have never been against a glittery dress; however, I found myself completely overwhelmed and covered by the shiny plastic after trying on just a few dresses. The issue with going too early is that stores haven’t stocked up on a large and diverse supply of options. The issue with going too late is that at a certain point, people realize that it is too late and dress stores fall into chaos and disarray.  Going into Windsor a week before Homecoming was a humbling experience that consisted of the store at near-maximum capacity, dresses stomped on the floor, and sequins stuck in my hair for a week.

As we enter our final months before prom, I have officially ordered my first dress. I finally got my dress from Lulus, which offers free shipping on most dresses and has free returns (this article was not sponsored). If you haven’t begun looking for your dress yet, I hope this serves as a reminder to start and that you emerge with your hair glitter-free.