Anger as 'deplorable' dresses banned from teenage disco in Kilkenny
Fusion Ball, Kilkenny, shared a post to their Facebook page on Sunday telling female teenagers attending the next ball to keep their outfits "neat and discreet."
"Due to the deplorable dresses at the last ball it is necessary to fully enforce a knee length dress with no plunging neckline dress code for the mid-term ball."
"Any of the following dresses or any dresses similar to the following will not be accepted on the night. Keep it neat and discreet ladies," reads the post, alongside images of dresses from online retailers, with the word "no" going across them in red and black.
The post has since sparked outrage online, with one user saying: "Did you ever think that by sexualising teenage girls you are the problem?"
Responding to one commenter, Fusion Ball said: "We always asked for neat and discreet. But too many broke the rule. All we are asking for is the girls to be discreet."
It has received over 425 comments and 109 shares since it was posted on Sunday evening.
Following the backlash, Fusion Ball, described as "Kilkenny's biggest teenage event," posted a second status on Monday saying "there seems to be a lot of confusion over our status" and a new post would be shared to "clarify any misunderstandings."
The following post stated that the "dress code has always been in place" since the first ball in 2005 and it is printed on the back of all tickets.
"We organise these events for 15 year old children to attend in a safe, supervised and fun environment."
"Our dress code has always been in place,since our first ever ball back in 2005. We put up a reminder of this before every ball and we also have it on the back of all tickets."
The post included the dress code for boys, which is a shirt, tie, slacks and shoes. Girls are told to wear a dress and shoes.
Shoes can be sandals, heels or flat pumps. Dress can be knee length or just above the knee."
