Hairspray. Makeup. Dresses. Limos. Anxiety.
If these words mean something to you, then congratulations! You're planning or are on your way to prom night.
We've all seen the movies, daydreamed about the perfect prom attire, and watched a bunch of promposals to just imagine how incredible prom night is going to be. You've probably spent a good amount of time planning who's going to sit at your table, who's coming in your limo, what hairstyle will look best with your dress, and more importantly what you'll do for after prom. Sometimes you're led to believe if you do all these things and you do them right it'll be the most magical night of your life. But I'm here to tell you no matter what you do, no matter what goes wrong, no matter how many times you give up making the night perfect, it will still be one of the best night of your life!
I was very excited for my prom even though I knew it wasn't going to be like how movies portray them to be. I wasn't going to get asked out by the hottest guy at school or completely morph into this beautiful super model type girl like how it's done in the movies or discover a side of myself that was hidden away all four years of high school, therefore making me stand out at prom. Nothing life changing was going to happen. But I didn't care. I still had the time of my life! Putting on a fancy outfit, riding a limo, wearing ridiculously high shoes that make you feel like your stepping on Legos at the end of the night, and being with your best friends is pretty all that prom is.
Sure the process of getting ready won't be so smooth. You might get a zit right in the middle of your face, like I did, the day of and be mortified. Or you might forget the earrings that went super well with your dress right before you leave to meet with your friends. You might have more obstacles to jump through before you even get your dress on, but at the end of the night, it won't matter. When I met up with all my friends at prom, I felt great! I loved the dress I was wearing. I liked how my hair was styled. I felt beautiful! It was nice to dress up like a fancier version of myself. For me, prom was wearing a dress that made me feel beautiful and getting to dance the night away with my friends. By the time you even get to prom you'll completely forget about that zit and those earrings.
Everywhere you look everyone will be dressed up, smiling, complimenting each other, and taking pictures that they'll look at years later and say, "Oh God! My hair looks awful! What was I thinking with that dress?!" And you know what? You'll miss every second of it.
If you and your friends are anti-prom then that doesn't mean prom night's a complete waste. You can totally ditch the fancy dresses and just plan something for just yourselves. Plan a movie marathon. Go to a nice restaurant. Go laser tagging. Steal candy from a baby, (actually don't do that because you'd be a very horrible person.) Literally anything you do or don't do together is better than letting your final days of high school go to waste.
Prom night isn't going to be about who looks the prettiest or who will win prom king/queen or thinking that it sucks you don't have a date (#singlelady4life) or even about how many things can go possibly wrong. It's about being with your best friends and fellow classmates to enjoy the ending of this chapter of your life before moving on to the next. I would go back to my prom night in a heartbeat just to be with all my high school friends in one room together again and just enjoy being with each other.
On a final note, to anyone going to prom: Have fun. Be safe. Bring flats (your feet will thank you later). Don't be afraid to dance like Taylor Swift. And, you look beautiful!
