High school is such a dorky, awkward time. I didn’t have much self-esteem, thanks to three brothers who repeatedly told me how ugly and stupid I was. But it didn’t stop me from anticipating my senior prom and hoping someone would ask me to go. Even then I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I wanted it. But I didn’t get asked and the rejection was just further evidence of my unloveability. We put so much weight on things as kids. Thank God we mature and get a little wiser. Getting off on my own at college was really good for me.
I read the other day that slightly more than 50% of adults did not go to their high school proms, so it’s not like I was the rare ugly duckling or loser. In my day though, proms were about the dress and the corsage; the prom was in a decorated gym and you had breakfast at the diner afterwards. Today’s proms are more like weddings. They start with fancy “promposals”, they include limos, professional photography, banquet halls and trips to the shore afterwards. The amount of money spent now is staggering and I suspect the experience of prom isn’t much different.
So, I didn’t go and in retrospect, it didn’t matter. No-one has ever asked me if I went. It just wasn’t life-changing. And I have the relief of not having a scary 1970’s prom photo out on the internet.
I read the other day that slightly more than 50% of adults did not go to their high school proms, so it’s not like I was the rare ugly duckling or loser. In my day though, proms were about the dress and the corsage; the prom was in a decorated gym and you had breakfast at the diner afterwards. Today’s proms are more like weddings. They start with fancy “promposals”, they include limos, professional photography, banquet halls and trips to the shore afterwards. The amount of money spent now is staggering and I suspect the experience of prom isn’t much different.
So, I didn’t go and in retrospect, it didn’t matter. No-one has ever asked me if I went. It just wasn’t life-changing. And I have the relief of not having a scary 1970’s prom photo out on the internet.