Teens Are Lending Their Prom Dresses To Girls In Need Using Twitter & It's So Pure

Prom is a magical time for high schoolers, but a fairy-tale-like night doesn't come cheap. The night has become such a pinnacle milestone of the American high schooler's life, reaching wedding-like heights. Stretch limos are rented, hair appointments are made months in advance, makeup artists are hired, and accessories are agonized over. Parents and friends become professional photographers, capturing you and your date from every angle throughout the whole experience, and everything needs to go perfectly for it to be considered a success. And a giant part of that perfection revolves around the dress. But seeing how prom dresses now cost hundreds of dollars, it puts a lot of pressure and stress on girls who come from lower-income families. Which is why this teen went viral when she offered to lend out her prom dress on Twitter.

While anyone could buy a party dress for cheap at Forever 21 or H&M, prom gowns are a whole other caliber. Coming in a wash of dazzling sequins, trendy cut-out paneling, mermaid silhouettes, dramatic princess skirts, and Oscar-worthy-like designs, they cost a lot of money. And it would be easy for a girl from a low income background to feel left out or disappointed if she couldn't partake in the glamour.

Understanding this, and knowing what a huge strain it would be for in-need families to try to budget for such a gown, nineteen-year-old Mika Riddick from Maryland came up with a plan.

Going on Twitter, she told high school girls in her area to DM her if they want to borrow her dress for the night. She tweeted, "I’m willing to let a girl in *need* use my prom dress. USE FOR THE NIGHT.... I have shoes for you as well as a makeup artist if you need that as well. IM NOT CHARGING YOU ANYTHING, JUST HAVE A GREAT NIGHT!!!!!"

Riddick went to prom two years ago in 2016, and she brought out photos of her ombre gold and black dress to show what she was lending out. Covered head to toe in sequins, and featuring a sweetheart neckline and a dramatic slit, it was a dress worthy of a red carpet.

Even more exciting, her selfless move has inspired other teens and young women to offer up their own prom dresses for the night. One graduate offered up her own black-tie gown that had a definite Gilded Age vibe to it, which featured a sheer overlay and a cascade of crystals down the front.

Some people jumped in with more minimalist dresses, like this high-low hem dress that this woman wore to a Los Angeles wedding.

Others hopped in with lacy two-piece frocks, giving a more vintage offering into the pool.

And some posted up show-stopping cut-out looks that seemed fit for royalty.

Some girls were willing to give away their dresses permanently rather than just loaning them out, being more than happy to pass on their prom dress to another deserving student.

Other women decided to offer up a few options, hoping to outfit more than just one girl.

And some were also offering free services with their dress rentals, like this photographer who volunteered to take formal prom pictures in the New York area.

Guys jumped into the thread too, offering up suits for students who were having a hard time renting or buying new looks.

In between all of this, the Twitter thread that Riddick started was also peppered with high fives and admiration, and people stated over and over what great role models these dress-lenders were being. One tweeter pointed out that by offering to pass on their expensive prom dresses for the sole reason to make another girl feel beautiful on her own prom night teaches younger girls an amazing lesson: Women need to stick together.

Have a great night, girls.