When Elyse Monroe set out to get a dress for prom, the plus-size high school senior didn’t have a lot of options of dress shops that would have a good selection of dresses that would fit her. So along with her mom, two aunts and her grandmother, she drove six hours to Juicy Body Goddess Boutique in Charlotte, North Carolina.
They went into the dress shop with a budget of $400 and were helped by the store’s owner Summer Lucille, who often streams her consultations on social media. As the shy teen tried on several dresses, the issue of their budget kept coming up, and Lucille would say, “We'll worry about the price when we get to the register.” While Elyse tried on several dresses, Lucille got a call from a follower watching the consultation offering to chip in $200 and Lucille realized what she needed to do.
Elyse found the perfect dress. "When she got into that purple dress, she lit up," Lucille recalls. At the register, the family is shocked to learn the dress costs $700 and even more shocked when Lucille says, “Well, it’s free.” A video on TikTok of the touching moment has been viewed over 14 million times and many people wanted to know how they could help the next girl get the perfect prom dress. Since then, Lucille has received more than $12-thousand in donations which only confirms for her that what she’s doing is needed.
- "I just want people to know that this place is just a safe place for everybody," she says. "No matter what your size, you are here on purpose and you have the right to be loved."
Source: People