A 17-year-old transformed a thrifted wedding dress into a princess prom look — and millions of TikTok likes

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A 17-year-old transformed a thrifted wedding dress into a princess prom look — and millions of TikTok likes
TikTok;@therealmeganjohnson
  • Megan Johnson went viral for dyeing a thrifted wedding dress for prom.
  • Johnson shared the process of dyeing the dress into a soft pink color.
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Megan Johnson, a 17-year-old TikToker, went viral for dyeing a beaded strapless wedding gown she thrifted into a pink prom dress.

Johnson's March 12 TikTok is a DIY montage that cuts the labor-intensive process down to a satisfying 30 seconds. The video has been viewed 8.4 million times.

Johnson showed viewers the "before" of a white dress with a dramatic skirt and a beaded and corsetted strapless top that Johnson explained she'd already tailored.

To prep, Johnson bought the dye, poured many pots of boiling water into a large plastic tub — showing steam rising off the water in her garage — and showed viewers "taking one last look" before she "sealed her fate." Johnson stirred the water with a mop for 30 minutes, explaining in the voiceover she didn't want the pink to look "too dark," before cutting to the final shot of the dress laid out to dry — looking miraculously uniform in color.

"I think it turned out pretty cute," she said. Commenters, who called the idea "genius" and the dress "dreamy," agreed.

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@therealmeganjohnson i love @ritdye #ritdye #prom #senioryear #senior #highschool #seniorprom #promdress ##weddingdresses #thrifted #timbercreekhighschool #thriftflip #alterations #wedding #pink #prinkdress #princess #princessdress #dyeing #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #viral #viralvideo #blowthisup #classof2023 #thanksmom #wlw #iloveyou #makemefamous #makemeviral ♬ Falling Leaves - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra

In the comments, Johnson said she was worried about how the pearl beading and lace, in particular, would react to the dye, but the lace simply turned a darker pink and the pearls took on a pink sheen as well.

But viewers had to wait until March 13 to see the final product. Johnson posted a dress reveal on Monday in which she ran through a field in the perfectly-fit gown to the Lizzy McAlpine song, "Ceilings," as her mom filmed.

The scene, which looks like a romance heroine as she expresses her internal turmoil via dance, is part of a lighthearted and exceedingly popular TikTok trend. Users typically wear a (preferably flowy) dress, intermittently sing to the camera and run away from it, and mouth along to a sped-up version of the track. Johnson's is one of thousands of iterations; some have participated in their actual wedding dresses.

@therealmeganjohnson Replying to @httpshy2 thanks for recording me mom!! @ritdye #pt2 #prom #ritdye #senioryear #highschool #senior #promdress #weddingdresses #thrifted #timbercreekhighschool #thriftflip #alterations #wedding #pink #princessdress #dyeing #foryou #fyp #makemefamous #makemeviral #fashiontiktok #fashion #loveshackfancy #vivviennewestwood #corset #cellingslizzymcalpine ♬ ceilings - Sped Up Version - Lizzy McAlpine

"You're literally a Disney princess," one viewer commented.

Viewers also added suggestions for future projects for Johnson.

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"Okay imagine if you cut like two to three inches and put petticoats or a hoop skirt to get a dreamy Dior silhouette," one commenter suggested.

"I'll do that after prom," Johnson promised.

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