Prom is just around the corner and high school seniors everywhere are hitting the shops to find THE perfect dress.
Including 18-year-old Elyse Monroe.
But as a plus-sized girl living in a size 2 fashion world, finding the right dress can be challenging, so she turned to TikTok for help.
That's where Elyse first learned about Summer Lucille and her store, the Juicy Body Goddess Boutique, in Charlotte, North Carolina. A store that specifically caters to women sized XL-6X.
As it turns out, not only is Summer Lucille the shop owner, but she's also the fairy godmother every plus-sized girl deserves.
Summer Lucille is "Changing the Chubby Girl Narrative...1 Doll at a Time!"
As a plus-sized woman in a society where skinny still, unfortunately, trumps all, Summer knows what it's like to struggle with body image issues.
For more than a decade she has worked hard to flip the fatphobic script, empowering plus-sized women and teens to embrace their bodies and their beauty.
With the help of her wildly popular TikTok account, business is booming.
Inspired by her own painful memories of trying to find a prom dress in the '90s, part of Summer's collection includes formal wear.
“If you weren’t skinny, there weren’t many options, and it was devastating for me because I’ve always loved fashion,” she shared with TODAY. “I went to my prom looking like a church lady in a suit dress with a jacket because it was the only thing that fit."
“It was a very sad period in my life,” she continued. “But I’m thankful for those experiences now.” And so are her customers, especially Elyse.
Knowing her options were limited, Elyse decided to drive six hours from her hometown of Manteo, North Carolina for a prom dress consultation with Summer.
It was definitely worth the drive.
Emotional TikTok Video of Plus-Sized Teen Finding Her Prom Dress Goes Viral
In a TikTok video that has been viewed more than 13M times in just 2 days, viewers witness the transformation of Elyse from an insecure girl into a confident prom QUEEN.
Summer captions it with, "I cried making this prom dress edit," and we're willing to bet, you will too.
The video opens with Elyse, dressed in her street clothes, and Summer hyping her up, saying, "So let's get this party started, I'm so excited! We've got a lot of cute dresses for her!"
Elyse tries on the first gown, a red-hot sparkly number, and although it looks spectacular on her, it's not quite right.
She moves on to dress #2. And this is when the real magic happens. As soon as she walks out of the dressing room, you just know, she's feeling F-I-N-E, fine. Twirling in front of the mirror, she can't hide the smile lighting up her face,
“I love that on you! It is so beautiful,” Summer gushes.
Not only does Elyse look and feel like a Disney princess, but the stunning purple gown has pockets! It's a win-win.
Except for the budget-busting price tag.
Elyse's budget is low and she and her family can't hide the sticker shock when Summer tells them the dress costs $700. However, their shock quickly turns to tears of joy when the store owner announces she is giving the dress to them...for free.
"So this dress is $700...but it's free. We're giving it to you. I gotta give my 10% back," Summer tells them.
The Impact One Shop Owner Had on a Plus-Sized Teen's Life is Priceless
Since getting her dress, Elyse hasn't been able to stop looking at it. But what makes it so special isn't how beautiful it is, it's how beautiful it makes her feel.
“Not only does it fit — but it makes me feel good about myself,” she says. “Shopping is usually pretty stressful for me, which is why I mostly shop online — but we were laughing the whole time. It was actually fun.
“Prom is a night where you want to feel beautiful,” she adds. “And I feel beautiful in that dress.”
And that makes all the difference. More than 26K commenters agree.
One commenter wrote, "The way she moved in the purple. Y’all made me cry."
"She's never going to forget how special you made her feel," another one said. "Her confidence was exploding!! Thanks for putting all this good out in the world."
A third wrote, "You’re literally CHANGING prom dress shopping for big girls. THANK YOU for doing what you do and making these BEAUTIFUL ladies see their beauty."
They're not wrong. Summer Lucille isn't just helping plus-sized teens and women find beautiful fashions that fit their bodies, she's helping them find something much more valuable — self-love.
It's a legacy she credits her mom with giving her and one she wants to share with as many others as she can.
In a world where fatphobia and body shaming are still sadly prevalent, thankfully there are people like Summer Lucille who are changing the narrative and empowering women and teens to love and embrace the body they're in.
Because the reality is, beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, regardless of what the billion-dollar fashion industry likes to tell us. And everyone deserves to feel and know that they are beautiful.
