A teenager was denied entry at her school's junior prom in Florida, and her mom says it's because administrators believed "she was not properly dressed for a female." Sophie Savidge, 16, planned on attending Mason Classical Academy's prom with a group of friends. She wore a suit, a green tie, a green vest and green sparkly nails, as per NBC2.
When she got to the door, though, she was told that she could not enter even though she had already purchased a ticket, her mom, Holly Savidge, told the outlet.
Holly said that she and her daughter knew that wearing a suit to prom could be risky because of the school's dress code. However, Sophie "doesn’t like to wear dresses — it’s just not her," her mom told NBC.
Holly told NBC that she was "very proud" of her daughter for wearing what she felt comfortable wearing even though there were risks involved. The mom told the outlet that she and her daughter were familiar with the school's dress code, but Sophie has worn suits to other school dances in the past and was not turned away.
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In a statement, Mason Classical Academy said the school "has clear dress code guidelines for all dances."
"The dress codes are clearly presented and outlined to all students and parents," the statement read, as per NBC2.
"Any student who shows up to an MCA dance and does not abide by the dress code is given the opportunity to return to the dance in the proper attire. All students are treated equally at MCA and are welcome and encouraged to attend these voluntary events," the statement continued.
Though Sophie and Holly had already paid $85 for Sophie's prom ticket that she wasn't able to actually use, Holly says the school claimed "that when we paid the $85 for her prom ticket that, you know, that was us agreeing to the fact that yes, we understood the dress code," as per NBC2.
On the school's website is a "Guide to Attire" for school events. The document says that for formal events, girls must wear "one piece attire only."
Sophie told NBC that she was "shocked" because she didn't think wearing a suit to prom would be an issue, as she had worn suits to school dances in the past.
Holly said that not being able to attend prom was especially upsetting for Sophie because Sophie's dad recently died, reported NBC2. Since Sophie couldn't go to prom, Holly took her out for ice cream, according to the outlet.
Sophie's friends also left prom early and got pizza later, NBC2 reported. Local fashion designer Peter Jean-Marie also gave five silk bow ties to Sophie after hearing about her prom experience.
