As prom season rolls around the corner, many girls are cowering the mall looking for that perfect prom dress or scrolling through Pinterest looking for ideas on how to do their hair and makeup. But as I look at these girls run around the mall like chickens with their heads cut off, I wonder to myself, "What would happen if I actually went to my senior prom?"
The answer is always that I would have hated it. As a senior in high school, I did not go to my senior prom; I went to my friend Sarah’s house and hung out with her instead. When I made my decision not to go to prom, many people asked me “Why don’t you want to go?” and usually gave me some kind of weird look because of my decision. I always answered, “Because I genuinely do not want to go.” You see, I am not the type of person to get all hyped up because of a day and when something good happens to me, people are usually more excited than I am.
At the time, prom was not something I was really looking forward to. I was just looking forward to graduation and just being done with high school. My friends were all excited because they got to plan prom and make it exactly how they wanted it, and I was just happy to see that it was something they enjoyed. That is not something I enjoy so I stayed out of it. Also, prom didn’t appeal to me, and it still doesn’t.
For some god-forsaken reason, people also find the time to ask me if I regret my decision to not go to prom? My answer to them is no. I had a better night at Sarah’s house than I would have at prom. Huge social gatherings like prom freak me out a little bit because they put the spotlight directly on you, and I do not like being the center of attention; I never did, never have and never will. Also, people would ask me if I had a bad experience at my junior prom, and that’s why I didn’t want to go to my senior prom. I just don’t like prom, and that’s why I did not want to go. If I don’t like something, I am not going to do it.
Yes, I know prom is a special night for most girls; if they want to go and get dressed up and have a good time, then so be it. I hope they have a great time. Prom is just something I needed to experience once in order to know that I never wanted to do it again. I realized that I didn’t need a fancy dress or get my hair and makeup done to have fun. I know that even if I went by myself that I wouldn’t have had fun. Prom is something special for most girls, but it's not something I would do again.
