Homecoming Dresses Are Trending

Scrolling fall fashion trends flooding the social media isn't new for Natalie Sanchez.

But this year, the 31-year-old couldn't help but notice homecoming dresses filling her feed seemed more sexy than the styles she considered customary for an autumnal high school formal dance. Necklines were deep, straps small or nonexistent, hemlines shorter and shorter — they didn't look like styles designed for a young girl's body.

She shared her thoughts on TikTok: "Those girls aren't even old enough to vote yet," she says in the video, calling out the mature styles targeted at young women. Unexpectedly, her post gained nearly 9 million views.

"I posted my video partly because I felt out of touch, but also genuinely confused," Sanchez said in an email to USA TODAY. "Why is a dress marketed for a Vegas bachelorette also being sold for homecoming? I didn’t expect it to blow up, but clearly it struck a nerve."

Comments flooded Sanchez's post: Some vocalized young women should wear whatever dresses they want, no matter concerns about age appropriateness. Others shared retro photos of their own looks, arguing high school girls looked more modest in previous generations and today's youth should follow suit.

Sanchez says she didn't take aim at girls wearing such dresses. Her intention was to contemplate why teen girls feel their best in clothes she says were advertised as "sultry, sexy and alluring."

"My video isn’t about shaming or blaming girls," Sanchez says. "It’s about asking why our culture sexualizes them before they’re even old enough to buy the dress for themselves, and why their parents aren’t stepping in to help them make better decisions."

The debate comes is the latest in a string of viral conversations about modesty and dressing for women, according to Lorynn Divita, associate professor of apparel design and merchandising at Baylor University.

As popular culture favors traditional milkmaid dresses that cover-up women's bodies and celebrity women get backlash for showing skin, this sets the stage for young girls to face judgement no matter what they wear. If they feel their best in sexy clothes, that's fine, Divita says, giving outsized value to the chorus of opinions is the problem.

"There will always be someone disapproving," Divita says. "We are currently in an era where people are very comfortable telling young women what to do."