A 17-year-old from Florida was not allowed to enter her senior homecoming dance because she wore a jumpsuit instead of a dress.
When Darcy Krueger showed up to the Tampa Bay Homeschool Homecoming dance last Friday, she didn’t think she’d be turned away for her outfit.
‘I was very surprised. I called my mom and I was telling my friends about it because I couldn’t really believe it,’ Darcy told ABC Action News.
Darcy, wearing a black jumpsuit, was barred from the dance by a private event organizer who deemed her outfit was a violation of dress code.
Melissa Krueger, Darcy’s mother, shared photos of her daughters homecoming outfit on Facebook (pictured) and expressed how upset she is
Darcy’s mother, Melissa Krueger, shared photos of her daughter’s homecoming outfit on Facebook in an upset post.
It read: ‘My daughter was just denied entrance because her dress attire has a crotch in it. Tell me this isn’t semi formal attire.’
‘The lady who wouldn’t let her in had pants on and refused to look at my screen shot of the dress code. Darcy’s upset and so am I.’
Melissa points out that the dress code did not say ‘pant suit dress attire’ couldn’t be worn by ladies.
After having no luck finding a dress for homecoming, Darcy (pictured) became excited about wearing her black jumpsuit instead (source: Jennie Ellis Photography)
Darcy told ABC Action News that she had previously gone shopping for a dress, but didn’t find one she wanted.
That’s when she chose to wear the jumpsuit instead.
She said: ‘I already had this in the closet and I was like this could totally work. I could just dress this up and feel good about this.’
Melissa sympathizes with her daughter and couldn’t believe event organizers’ reactions.
‘She was dressed up and was appropriate so that’s frustrating because this like a memory now, you know,’ Melissa told ABC Action News.
‘As a mom, I was shocked. I thought there had to be a misunderstanding. What century are we in!? I was very upset… there was no one else to talk to,’ she told Yahoo Lifestyle.
Users on social media appeared to be just as baffled about the situation as the Krueger’s were.
One user said: ‘Seriously? What the heck? I remember attending my friend’s homecoming dance and I wore pants and a dressy top. She’s dressier in this than I was.’
Another said: ‘Your daughter is gorgeous. It was great you stood your ground. The school rules were ridiculous. Terrible judgement on their behalf. That’s not the type of message they should send out.’
Tampa Bay Homeschool Homecoming shared a post on Facebook (pictured) outlining dress code and other expectations ahead of the dance
Tampa Bay Homeschool Homecoming shared the expected dress code on their Facebook page a few weeks before the dance.
While dresses appear to be the only listed option for girls, it does not explicitly say jumpsuits are not allowed.
‘Ladies: Semi-Formal Dresses for young ladies. Please plan your attire within a conservative manner,’ the statement reads.
In a statement to ABC Action News, the event organizer said: ‘We have 2 private events every year for our students. These events have a dress code.’
‘Only 1 student had to be turned away and it was due to dress code. We offered her an opportunity to come back if she could change into the dress code.’
The money for the ticket was refunded to the Krueger’s, but Melissa says it’s more than that.
Social media users are applauding the mother and daughter, calling Darcy (pictured) ‘gorgeous’ and calling the rules ‘ridiculous’
‘This is my daughter’s senior year and to see her get rejected and denied entrance to a dance that she could have went to any semi-formal event in the area and walked right in and no one would have batted an eye.’
Melissa told Yahoo Lifestyle that, at the moment, Darcy doesn’t plan on attending any of the organization’s future events.
‘Thankfully, my daughter has good self-worth and she saw this clearly for what it was,’ she said.
‘A very bad judgment call by a woman who showed almost no empathy, and a dress code that needs to be updated into the 21st century.’