Coronavirus Duct Tape Dress
When I saw this duct tape dress on social media, it’s creativity blew me away. It was made by Peyton Manker for the Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest. Using 41 rolls of duct tape it took 395 hours. Its theme is the coronavirus and it reflects both Peyton’s personal experience and issues that have affected the majority of us.
I’m delighted, but not surprised to say, that Peyton and her dress has made it through to the finals and you can see the other finalists and vote for her dress here.
“The coronavirus pandemic became my inspiration for my dress once it hit the USA and took my peers and I out of school and canceled our senior proms. I chose to represent how the coronavirus affected not only us, but the world through artwork I created myself.”
Peyton commented on her Facebook page: “For those asking about how much the dress weighs … the 41 rolls of Duck Brand tape weighed approximately 53 lbs. plus the weight of the 150 feet of electrical wire for the hoop added approximately 40 lbs.” That’s one heavy dress!
Peyton describes what is on each panel of the dress. “The front left panel design represents those on the front line such as doctors, nurses, janitors, postal workers, police officers, construction workers, the military, grocery workers, restaurant workers, firefighters, etc. For the front middle panel, I created a man who represents mental illness during quarantine whether it be due to isolation, worry, fear, or even being affected personally by the virus. The front right design is meant to be a virtual 2020 graduation through a video chat. I created this design when a virtual graduation was only a joke among my peers but eventually, it became a reality for my classmates and I. The back left and right panels are meant to be one design. It showcases a woman infected with the virus as well as a man trying to protect himself from it using his mask as a shield. The final panel design represents the world trying to run from the virus both figuratively and literally. Other nationalities can be represented through the clothing.”
Even the accessories of this duct tape dress carefully reflect the coronavirus theme. Peyton states “The face mask represents the curve and how wearing protective measures helps to flatten it which is why it is so important to wear them. A majority of my accessories are based on the coronavirus with my purse being an actual coronavirus! For the rest of my accessories, I made an arm bouquet with toilet paper accents to shed light on the lack of toilet paper during this time and the frustration people experienced during this shortage. I also made a hair piece with the words, ” Separately Together”, to let people know that even though we are separated, we can still get through this together. Lastly, I made an anklet spelling out, “This Too Shall Pass”. The reason I chose to place this saying on an anklet is because it can be forgotten. It cannot be seen unless I lift up my dress. This represents how people may have forgotten that the coronavirus pandemic will eventually pass and everything will be okay.“
If you’d like to vote for Peyton’s dress, you can do so here.
