What’s With the White Dresses?: The all-white dress codes are boring and overdone

“Excited to see everyone next weekend! Don’t forget SENIORS wear white.”

Sounds great, right? Cohesive, timeless, easy. Wrong. I’m so sick of wearing my white dress.

It seems that every event during my final year of high school calls for the same pristine, white dress. Senior photos, banquets, spring break, graduation — I glance guiltily at the colorful sundresses tucked in the back of my closet, apparently there’s no room for vibrance this year. Am I the only one who finds the constant white dress code boring? 

I only have one white dress, which people must be as tired of seeing as much as I am of wearing it. I’ve worn this dress to countless events and have at least 500 photos in it. With everyone wearing the same thing every other week, it’s hard to even distinguish between each event at this point. The only thing about the photo that changes is the background. But, as always, that white dress is front and center.

Also, sorry to burst the bubble, but white is an extremely unflattering color. Only a finite percentage of the general public — which I’m not a part of — actually looks good in white. If you have dark hair and a warm complexion it may be doable, but white completely washes me out since I’m perpetually pale even during the warmest months of the year. 

There’s also the overarching issue of the color’s symbolic meaning. From cult circles to the Catholic Church, white dresses symbolize a young woman’s cleanliness and purity — ick. I’m not saying that this is the intention of those setting the dress code, but the creepy context is tough to get over.  

Overall, white dresses are overdone, unflattering and outdated. Let’s all agree it’s time to opt for outfits that suit your personality and disregard uniformity.