Sarah Michelle Gellar's prom dress from the season 1 finale, "Prophecy Girl", has since become an iconic part of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Not only did the episode represent a huge shift in tone from the light-hearted, high school drama feel of Joss Whedon's show, but it set the tone for future sacrifices that Buffy would end up making in order to save the world.
Joss Whedon's show ran for seven seasons from 1997 to 2003; since then, it has become an integral part of modern pop culture and has maintained an audience and loyal fan base over twenty years later. Sarah Michelle Gellar played Buffy Summers, the titular character; she began season 1 as a sixteen year old girl who was chosen to be the Slayer. The Slayer's job is to protect the world against vampires, demons, and the other forces of darkness.
The fictional town of Sunnydale, California had no shortage of enemies for the Slayer and her friends to face due to its location being on the Hellmouth; this provided an excellent background for the "monster of the week" format that the series took, though it was good about mixing in elements of teen dramas which were common for the time, such as Beverly Hills, 90210, Dawson's Creek, and Party of Five. Although the show has been off the air for some time, its contributions to pop culture and media still resonate with fans; the prom dress from "Prophecy Girl" plays a part in this, as it speaks to the origins of not only the series, but the character of Buffy Summers herself.
Buffy's Prophecy Girl Prom Dress Represents Iconic Nostalgia
In "Prophecy Girl", Buffy learns the darker side of her calling; she is doomed to die at the hands of The Master, an ancient vampire who has been living underground, beneath Sunnydale. Though she knows the inherent danger of facing vampires, the knowledge that she is destined to die at sixteen becomes an understandably difficult pill for Buffy to swallow. In fact, it leaves her wanting to just abandon her calling altogether so she can live a normal life as a high school girl with a boyfriend, friends, and homework. However, Buffy comes around to her fate knowing that she can't avoid destiny's pull. Beyond that, she feels a great amount of responsibility despite the outcome; she willingly goes to face The Master, knowing that she'll die.
Prom is supposed to be one of the most important nights of any high school student's life, and Buffy goes to face The Master all decked out in her prom dress, looking like a bride walking down the aisle. The imagery and meaning behind this is clear: she has embraced her death, which later is revealed in season 4 by the first Slayer to be her ultimate gift. This comes to fruition again in the season 5 finale, "The Gift", when Buffy sacrifices her life yet again to save the world and dies a second time. Though she is brought back to life relatively quickly after The Master kills her, the Slayer line is forever changed as a result: where there was only one Slayer before, now there will always be two.
Because of its greater significance to the show, the prom dress from "Prophecy Girl" has become one of the most cosplayed Buffy outfits, and even was brought back by Sarah Michelle Gellar herself in an Instagram post where she is seen wearing the outfit once more. The profound effect of Buffy the Vampire Slayer resonates with fans for many reasons, and even something as simple as a prom dress holds deeper meaning in the context of the plot and what it truly means to be a hero, something Buffy and her friends prove time and again throughout the show.