It’s that time of year again–prom season! For those of you who have safely left behind the wicked world that is high school and who don’t have teenage children, you may not even realize that it’s prom time, but I’m here to remind you that it is!
The thing about working in a high school is that I never really get to ‘leave’ school behind. It’s kind of like being trapped in a bad dream where I never graduate–I just keep coming back, year after year after year. Orientation, winter vacation, mid term exams, spring break, prom, graduation, repeat.
1960s
I spent last night with my teenaged cousin L., helping her prepare for her prom which is tomorrow. We went to the mall to pick up some accessories and makeup and then went back to her house and I put her hair in hot rollers and then styled it to give her some inspiration for her appointment with her stylist tomorrow.
1970s, duh
All the prom madness got me thinking back to my own prom days. In 1989, I was a freshman in high school and was asked to the prom by a senior. My friends were green with envy until I told them that the guy who asked me wasn’t the captain of the football team–instead, it was this nice French foreign exchange student. I was flattered, but ultimately turned him down because I didn’t want to be the only freshie at the prom.
1980s
By junion and senior years, I was not interested in going to the prom and prefered the ‘after-prom’ weekends at the beach. Growing up, I lived about 80 minutes from the ocean, so the beach was our post-prom destination. Parents gave up their summer houses along the coast and hotel rooms were rented. And we all enjoyed a ‘lost weekend’ (read: drunken revelry for everyone except me, because I don’t drink).
1990s
So, I’ve never actually gone to a prom despite invitations and will have to settle for living vicariously through your prom tales. I’d love to know about your prom experiences or lack there of? Any old prom kings and queens out there? What did you wear? Spill! Spill! Perchance you looked like one of these photos? (Thanks to all prom participants who unwittingly appear on my page.)
2007
I actually married my prom date…before you all gag we went as friends. We didn’t actually date until three years after I graduated high school and got married after I graduated college and he was in the Navy. I technically didn’t marry my high school sweetheart we just went to prom together, but it is a pretty good story to tell the kids.
I hated prom.
So much pressure!
My junior prom date was an a-hole, and that’s being polite. Classic black dress, classic black shoes, classic up-do. Except for the other people in the pictures, you’d never know it was 1996.
My senior prom date dumped me right before prom (granted, he was like 20) leaving me to foot his part of the limo bill. I had red hair and my supposed-to-be-date picked out this bright blue sequined dress. I wore the same black shoes (whywhywhy?!) The best part of the evening, I got to dance with The Most popular guy in school.
Dear god, please don’t let my children put as much stock in prom as they may be pressured to. It is not the best night of your life.
Sorry, my zoloft hasn’t kicked in yet.
Forget Prom Queen. I was the DANCE Queen. First one on the floor and the last one off.
I did not go to any formal/prom! My husband swears it’s because I was too busy hanging out with my gay best friend for anyone to ask me out! LOL
We had a soph hop, junior prom & senior prom. I honestly don’t remember anything about the sophomore dance, not even my date (sorry, whoever you were!) Junior Prom was in ‘89, I went w/ a short-term boyfriend who was adorable, funny & went to a near-by private school (bonus points). To Jr Prom I wore a Gunne Sax dress. It was a fitted black satin number that went to the floor, with white/black print up top and puff sleeves. VERY 80s. Senior prom I went w/ my long-term boyfriend, I got my dress at a fancy specialty boutique. White with embroidered overlay, fitted to the floor, strapless, with some sort of train. Sort of wedding-ish. Very classy, quite sexy. I can scan you pix if you want them Curl, but I do ask you not to re-post them.
Ah, the prom. I can’t say as I remember it was being all that great, or that terrible, but our school did have a wonderful tradition.
Every year the climax of the prom experience was for the Senior Class President to sing “New York, New York” with the prom band (just think “The Wedding Singer”). I have no idea how or when this tradition started, but it is probably my fondest memory of high school — especially because we saw it coming and were smart enough to elect someone who could sing. (And yeah, I had a crush on our Prez Tom Stevens. I’m sure he’s still hot, wherever he may be 25 years later.)
And dish, do I ever remember those Gunne Sax dresses! LOLOL!!!LOL!!11LOL
That’s so sweat ! I also thought about marrying my prom date when we were in the car,which we hired for our prom (go-easycars.co.uk) But our prom date was a disaster and we never talked to each other afterwards.