Posted by Wendell Edwards at 5:31 p.m.

HOUSTON --- There is more to Marche Taylor than just her now renowned prom dress.

"I just want my voice to be heard," the 17-year-old told me Wednesday afternoon, as we stood in a convenient store parking lot across from Madison High School.

"This is not about my dress," she added. "I just want my money back."

And that's really how this story began.
Taylor called me out of the blue the Wednesday after her incident at the prom. I remember it clearly. I had just walked out of our morning editorial meeting when my cell phone rang.

"Mr. Edwards," said a young voice on the other line. "I need your help."

Our conversation lasted only about 5 minutes. But I distinctly remember the words "prom dress," "police," and "handcuffs." I found the story, at first, almost too true to believe.

And then she said the magic words.

"And there's a picture of me in handcuffs," she said.
"Did you say, 'you have a picture?" I responded.
"Yes, sir, I do. And I want my money back because I didn't get into my prom."

That is all Marche Taylor apparently ever wanted.
Instead, she and her dress are getting way more attention than she ever would have gotten had she actually gone to the prom.

Her grandmother, who she lives with sometimes, warned her to, "let this go." Marche Taylor didn't.

And nearly a week, and she is still fodder for the media, with requests for her story coming from the Dr. Phil Show to Essence Magazine.

Jay Leno even used her in his Tuesday night monologue.
Marche Taylor, though, say most of it hasn't been funny.

"I'm not saying I'm enjoying it because some people are taking it overboard," she said.

She called a local radio station to explain her story further.
I'm told her mom called right after, apparently saying Marche doesn't live with her because her daughter didn't follow her mom's rules.

"I had my history, I made my mistakes," she said. "But this year I've had to mature up and do everything I had to do. I knew I was a senior I knew I had to graduate. I knew what I was supposed to do and I have been doing that."

She is set to graduate in two weeks. She says she's already been accepted to Texas Southern University in the fall and wants to be a pharmacist.

And she readily admits, she's come a long way from the Marche Taylor she used to be.

Her fight now is what for she believes.
Right or not, her feelings are true to her.

"You can't bring somebody's prom back," she said. "I paid my money to get in and I expected to get in."

Even with a dress that revealed more of Marche Taylor than the prom dress code allowed.

3 Comments

unknow said:

Marche Taylor knew her dress was too revealing when she left the house. I don't think she deserve her money back because she knew the rules of the proms dress code. If she wanted to be different with her prom dress she could have done that instead of going naked. i also feel sorry for her date because he missed her prom because of her inability to follow rules. If i was him i would have left her outside and enjoyed my prom.

May 15, 2008 10:28 PM

Gina said:

She does not deserve her money back, but she is too young and unwise to realize that she is risking the health of the only person who is willing to feed clothe and shelter her, her grandmother.

The mother kicked her out of the house and grangma recently had a stroke. I am sure this added stress and a willful grandaughter are not making the life of this recovering stroke victim any better.

not to mention the lunacy of her gong on the Dr. Phil show. We are willing to take up a collection to pay for the price of the prom ticket. How much was it because whatever the cost, it can't be worth what this child is doing to her grandmother and unfortunately she is too young to realize what she is doing and she doesn't have a single adult in her life that can make her listen to reason

http://whataboutourdaughters.blogspot.com/2008/05/marche-taylor-we-will-pay-for-you-to-go.html

May 16, 2008 11:38 AM

Appalled said:

I am appalled that this story is getting so much attention. She broke the rules and that is that. Why should she get her money back? She should not. Dr. Phil should be ashamed that he is keeping this story alive. She should step up, admit her mistake and move on. This is the problem with our world today....students have too much power....they need to learn to follow the rules. Like all students who make mistakes and bad choices....chalk this up to that and move on. The world will respect you more for doing the right thing than for saying you have changed when your actions clearly show otherwise. She is basking in the glory of this publicity and it is to the fault of the adults who are trying to make money off of this story. Let it go and so will she!!!

May 18, 2008 11:06 AM

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