School formal turn into nightmares as body shaming increases teen anxiety

A brave southeast Queensland teen reveals she considered not attending her school formal after being subjected to body shaming from both boys and girls, as the pressure to look perfect compounds anxieties around body image.

Body shaming and the pressure to look perfect at formals is seeing Queensland students battle soaring rates of anxiety with schools at a loss on how to deal with the growing problem.

One brave teen has shared how her school formal became a nightmare when boys at her school put her on the “fat list” and girls tried to ban her from wearing green because they wanted to wear it.

Darling Downs 18-year-old Summa Wirth said the fact she couldn’t find a dress to wear in any mainstream fashion outlets only compounded her stress.

“Being told to my face what number I am on the fat list and constantly body shamed has been horrible,” she said.

Summa said the bullying had made her feel unworthy.

Summa Wirth 18 at Curve Bridal Boutique with owner Erin McKenna. Summa said she considered not even going to her formal until Ms McKenna helped her find a dress and change the way she saw herself in the mirror. Picture: Peter Wallis.

“I know it is OK to look different but for a lot of people it is not,” she said.

“Year 12 is meant to be memorable and it is hard to make a year like this memorable when people act like this towards you.”

Butterfly Foundation manager, education services Helen Bird said the organisation had seen an increasing number of schools reaching out to them around formal time to get support for their students because the formals process had exacerbated their anxieties around fitting it, weight and shape.

“A formal is supposed be fun and celebratory and it is increasingly becoming this time where there is so much pressure being placed from others or pressure placed on themselves to live up to this WAG red carpet type look,” she said.

“Young people are spending so much time and money and it can become an obsessive process that detracts from the purpose of the evening, which should be about having a great time with your friends and celebrating school.”

Ms Bird said young people subjected to body shaming were at an increased risk of having body image concerns which could result in eating disorders.

Curve Bridal Boutique director and owner Erin McKenna said she branched out into offering an inclusive line of formal wear after being approached by lots of young women pleading for help because they couldn’t find anything to wear for their special occasions.

“These young girls go on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and they are shown what the world wants them to look like in order to be deemed attractive, if they are not naturally built to look like Kim Kardashian we are setting them up for failure,” she said.

“We are dedicated to help change each young girls’ perception of themselves through creating a positive shopping experience and re-educating them that the world is made for them.”

Summa, who will wear an emerald green dress to her formal later this year, said before she met Ms McKenna she was considering not going.

“She changed the perception of what I see in the mirror,” she said.