Ghetto Prom Dresses

Ghetto prom dresses are garish, tacky, usually handmade outfits worn to the prom. They’re associated with black teenagers from the US ghettos; hence the name. However, the epithet says more about the outfit than the social class of the wearer. Exposed skin, especially an exposed belly button, any kind of “themed” fabric (e.g. a sports team, Barbie, Spongebob Squarepants) and combining gym shoes with formal wear all make for a ghetto prom dress.

These dresses look both cheap and ridiculous. They meld high fashion with the overexposed “video girl” aesthetic. There’s an undeniable undertone of classicism to some commentary, especially when people sneer at obviously homemade outfits that imitate red carpet, upper-class fashions.

A few people project their issues with teenagers, black people, America, and so on, onto these extremely unfortunate fashion choices. Others, of course, just get a sort of schadenfreude from fashion disasters, perhaps remembering their own lack of judgment as a teenager.
Read more