The girls were high school students from the California School for the Blind, trying on dresses at a dress giveaway hosted by the Princess Project at their location in San Francisco. The Princess Project is a non-profit organization that strives to promote self-confidence and positive body image by providing prom dresses to anyone in need.
With locations scattered throughout the Bay Area, high school students can sign up to attend a dress giveaway at one of the locations where they will be given one hour to pick out a dress and an accessory for free. They will also be assigned a “personal shopper,” a female volunteer over the age of 18, who will assist them through the process.
In order to address the issue of body image and promote self-confidence among teens, all volunteers are trained to be careful with their words and be respectful to all body types and sizes.
“It was a policy to not bring up sizing or shape when speaking with any girl,” volunteer Jane Kennedy said. “Dress sizes are pretty fluid anyway, so we were striving to find the dress that fit right for girls without bringing up numbers or explicit sizes.”
Kennedy had volunteered with the Princess Project when she was in high school, but she could only help with set-up and take-down since she was under 18. Coming back to be a part of the dress giveaways was something she had been looking forward to for a long time, she said.
Another volunteer, Miss Silicon Valley Amia Nash, was one of the 20 women helping out the group of 30 students from the CA School for the Blind when they came to pick out dresses. The experience was rewarding for the girls she assisted as well as for herself.
“It was a special experience spending time with girls from the California School for the Blind,” she said. “Their enthusiasm and support for one another exemplified young women lifting each other up and encouraging each other to be confident.”
According to Nash, it was also very eye-opening because she and the other volunteers would verbally describe how the dresses looked, and then let the girls feel them to decide if they liked them. Most people base a dress on how it looks on them, but these girls have to rely on how they feel.
This highlights how the Princess Project and their mission is more than a materialistic experience. Prom is a special night, and people deserve to have a dress that makes them feel comfortable and confident even if they cannot afford to spend hundreds of dollars. Since prices for prom have only been going up in recent years, many of the girls would not be able to go if it weren’t for the Princess Project providing free dresses.
“I want each of those girls to enjoy their prom nights without feeling guilty or worried about affording it,” volunteer Jacqueline Wibowo said. “Even if the girls probably won’t remember me, I hope they’ll remember the impact the organization had on them and pay back to their community one day.”
