The Catalyst

By Kasey Mortensen, Reporter

Elizabeth Rasmuson, a junior attending a high school in Garner, Iowa, went over the top for this year’s prom. Most girls purchase the most expensive and elegant dresses for their one special night, but Rasmuson decided to make her dress for this year’s prom. With the recession being as bad as it is, she decided that a thrifty, yet creative dress, would be an exciting aspect for her first prom.

Rasmuson and her boyfriend and her boyfriend Jordan Weaver, also a junior, began saving discarded gum wrappers from August 2009 and began their project in early March. The two would buy their preferred gum, which happened to be Wrigley’s “5” gum, and save the wrappers. The two preferred this gum because the wrappers were more durable and tore off the second layer of the gum wrapper more easily, causing a lot less difficulty in getting the wrappers to stick together.

The couple also asked friends and family to help collect gum wrappers so they could construct a vest, for Weaver, and a gum wrapper bodice for Rasmuson’s dress. She noted that she used a little over three thousand wrappers to create her gown. It took many hours of construction but ended up being a success in the end. Rasmuson said that she got the idea of making this dress after she saw someone around her age make a prom dress out of duct tape.

Rasmuson has received one hundred dollars from the Wrigley Company for incorporating their product into her prom night. She hasn’t only gained money from this, but also a lot of fame from the media.