Suzanne's Mom's Blog

Photo: Peyton Manker via CNN
Illinois teen Peyton Manker made this gorgeous dress out of duct tape for a scholarship competition.

Oh, my goodness! Human ingenuity! Nothing against animals, but it’s hard to think of any animal — even the dolphin — dealing with misfortune by creating something that lifts the spirit like this. I think the product of this young lady’s resourcefulness belongs in a museum someday. After some future prom, that is.

Kiely Westhoff reported at CNN about the scholarship contest with the theme “Stuck at the Prom.”

“In January, 18-year-old Peyton Manker embarked on her journey to make a prom dress entirely out of duct tape for a contest to win a scholarship. After weeks of working on her submission, the Covid-19 outbreak not only canceled her prom but altered the course of her senior year.

“Manker was not deterred by the fact that she would not get to wear her dress to prom. Instead, she felt inspired to create a dress that ‘documents a part of history.’ Her coronavirus-themed dress features multiple images depicting life during the pandemic. …

‘It wasn’t just high schoolers, it wasn’t just America, it was the whole world being impacted by the pandemic so I wanted to show that,’ said Manker.

“She does so by showing an image of people running away from the giant coronavirus to signify the world trying to avoid catching the disease. Other designs pay tribute to frontline workers and people suffering from mental health issues as a result of the pandemic. …

“She completed the look with a creative array of accessories including a ‘flatten the curve’ face mask. … She believes that her anklet displaying the words, ‘This too shall pass,’ perfectly encapsulates her message. ..

“Manker also wants to encourage a spirit of positivity with her work. She believes that ‘we can have some positive things come out of this whole experience and my dress is an example of that.’ …

“Manker says this is her debut as a duct tape artist. Her previous experience is from making small duct tape wallets and flowers when she was much younger. Four months and 41 rolls of duct tape later, she managed to make something far more elaborate. …

“Manker’s mother posted the dress to Facebook, where the post has been shared over 254,000 times. Manker says it is ‘surreal’ that her work was able to make an impression on people all over the world who commented on the post.

“She says that winning the contest, run by duct tape-maker Duck Brand, would be rewarding because ‘it will mean that people saw all the positivity I was trying to show them.’ Duck Brand will be awarding $20,000 in cash scholarships to the winners in July.” See more views of the Manker’s gown are here. Other Duck Brand prom dresses are here.

Photo: Peyton Manker
This fetching little purse ensures you won’t forget Covid-19.