Victoria Hoffman, an 18-year-old homeschooled student from Pennsylvania, turned to TikTok for help after receiving a prom invitation. She never expected what would happen next.
As she explained, a friend had invited her to the event. “I was so excited because I never got to go to dances,” she told Today.com.
“But then I got home and it hit me — I don’t have a dress, I don’t have shoes. What am I going to wear?”
Highlights
- An 18-year-old student from Pennsylvania received generous donations after saying she didn’t want to “embarrass” her friend with her prom dress.
- Victoria Hoffman shared the outfit she planned to wear: a patterned blue and white dress paired with a white corset blouse.
- She received donations for accessories and enough money to pay for EMT school, a longtime dream of hers.
Coincidentally, she had ordered a dress from Amazon for her graduation.
When it arrived, she posted a video of herself twirling in the blue-and-white, rose-patterned dress paired with a corset blouse.
Image credits: ves.crochet.hut
“Someone please tell me if it’s a good prom dress. It’s all I have it’s all I can afford,” the student wrote over the video.
“I don’t have a ton of money and my parents aren’t in a position where I can ask them with good conscience to buy me a dress,” she added. “I was invited by a friend to go with them and I don't want to embarrass them by not looking the part.”
Since Hoffman posted it on April 8, the video has garnered nearly 25,000 comments and has been viewed six million times.
"I don't have a ton of money and my parents aren't in a position where I can ask them with good conscience to buy me a dress," she captioned the video
Image credits: ves.crochet.hut
“I thought I’d get a couple of opinions — maybe some suggestions on how I could zhuzh it up,” she told Today.com. “And then... it went absolutely viral.”
The comments ranged from compliments on Hoffman and her look to suggestions for styling her hair, along with offers to buy her accessories and do her makeup.
“Can you dance in it? Do you feel pretty? Then yes lovey. It’s a wonderful prom dress, you look perfect,” one person commented.
Another said: “It’s not the dress, it's The Queen! That wears it proudly!! ♥️♥️♥️”
“Also—you are an amazing daughter! To be aware and so considerate of your parents' situation—so mature and sweet of you. Most teens would be so selfish and demand their wants. Not you,” a third added.
Image credits: ves.crochet.hut
“Wear the dress. go to the prom. eat the cake. enjoy your life. I'm 54 and I can't explain to you how fast time flies. Always be you,” a separate user advised.
“I love that dress! But I have a size 24 dress I wore to prom in 2004! I would be happy to donate it. I paid a lot of money and wore it once!” offered one woman.
“As a grown woman who never went to prom- please go, wear that dress and have the time of your life 🩵 you look absolutely amazing!“ an additional user said.
“Do you need some extra for hair and nails??” proposed someone else.
Before a friend invited her to prom, the homeschooled student had bought a patterned dress for her graduation
Hoffman, who works at McDonald’s, received donations from viewers to purchase accessories for the exciting event.
She now has enough money to pay for EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) school, a goal she had been saving toward.
“I had no way to afford it. And now I can; it’s going to be possible. I’m gonna be five years down the line in the back of an ambulance and be like, ‘Oh my God, TikTok made this happen.’”
Additionally, Hoffman is planning to launch an Etsy store to sell her crocheted stuffed animals.
Her video went viral and was seen by 6 million users
Despite receiving several offers to donate or buy her another dress, Hoffman said she’s planning to wear the one shown in the clip.
She received donations and offers to buy her a new dress, which she declined
Image credits: ves.crochet.hut
"I ended up falling in love with the dress. I feel like a princess in it, so I didn't accept any dress offers," she shared.
"But some people are sending me jewelry and custom nails."
The Pennsylvania student will use the money from the donations to buy accessories for prom and pay for EMT school
Image credits: ves.crochet.hut
In addition to helping her pay for EMT school and accessories for the big night, the positive messages from online strangers have also boosted Hoffman’s self-confidence.
“I’ve always been so self-conscious about how I look because I’m not petite, and I’m really tall… so it was so nice to hear people tell me I’m pretty.
“I’m a firm believer that beauty comes from within and that God made you exactly how He wants you to be — perfect in His eyes. But you still have those days when you think, ‘Gosh, I wish I looked different.’”
Hoffman got emotional as she thanked those who complimented her and sent her generous donations
Image credits: ves.crochet.hut
In a follow-up video, the Carbondale resident emotionally thanked her viewers for their compliments and donations.
“I cannot begin to put into words how thankful I am. I could never have fathomed any of this. When I posted that video, I just wanted people to say my dress looked pretty. I will forever be grateful.”
Viewers flooded the student's video with kind words, encouraging her to wear the dress and enjoy prom
