Musings about Prom

Hello everyone! I went and found my own dress on the good old Internet. It didn't seem like my giveaway was a success at all. I promise I will get better at that though. I decided that every Tuesday I'm going to have a "musing" of some sort about an issue close to home. Not all of these issues will be as trivial as prom. For those of you who don't know what prom is, watch any stereotypical high school movie or TV show. Prom is a "coming of age" dance in the United States usually in junior (3rd year) year of high school. Some schools have a junior and senior (4th year) prom together and some schools have a separate senior (4th) ball or dance. Prom is becoming less and less of the once in a lifetime event, probably since the number of people going to college has risen. It still is an important dance, nevertheless, and an excuse to do your nails and style your hair for three hours.

Since I already have my dress found on Lulus.com, I no longer have to worry about that. For me personally, I hate dress shopping. It's hassle some and takes so much time. I've never been the type of person to love hours and hours of shopping. I admit it can be fun trying on all sorts of wacky clothing with friends but it's not one of my go to hobbies. When I shop, everything is very systematic. I see a couple things that I like and maybe I try them on if the line in the dressing room isn't too long. I'm done in maybe twenty minutes.

I guess my number one worry of the moment is whether or not to ask TG, which leads to a whole other section of questions. We're friends but I'm not sure if we're close enough to go to prom together. Would I want to go as friends? Do I want to risk a really good friendship with my first ever guy friend on some trivial thing like prom? Would he even want to pay the $100 ticket? Would I be paying for that? Would my parents be okay with that? If none of my friends have dates would it be awkward? If all my friends have dates should that pressure me to ask? How do I ask? Do I pretend to be totally nonchalant as if this were not a big deal to me? If my friend, who doesn't like him, wants to ask him should I let her? Do I act like I don't care? Does this mean I can hang out with him at prom without officially being his date? Do I not want to be his date? Do I want to be his date? Dilemmas.

I always really wanted a nice prom picture . . . with everyone all lined up with their dates. All the girls have such pretty corsages wrapped around their wrist. Maybe I'll just buy one for myself. But that'd be the epitome of "cat lady."

Random scenario: Let's say one of your guy friends asks you to teach him hockey when he has a dad who's really good at hockey; mainly because he hears that you're coaching little kids hockey. You agree to do so because you sort of like him and he's your friends. Friends help friends. He says his dad is busy and doesn't want to teach him. Did your friend ask you to teach him because he wants to spend time with you or because you are the only one that can play hockey well among his friends? Is there a way to find out?

(I don't really teach hockey... I am actually terrible at hockey)

I really don't know how I feel about TG (short for 'That Guy', I make really great nicknames hah) either anymore. It's not a definitive "we're just friends" or the "I'm soooooo in love with him." It's more of a "I-don't-know-how-I-feel-about-you-but-if-you-asked-me-to-be-your-girlfriend-I'd-say-yes-in-maybe-two-heartbeats-but-I'm-really-happy-being-your-friend" type thing.

So I wrote something for the local paper about this issue, or rather the issue of planning for prom ridiculously early. This was the "pro" part.  I guess I'm a part of that group since I bought my dress in January.

            Before I was actually a high school student, I thought high school would be the most glamorous time of my life. In my imagination, I would be eating lunch off campus, driving to school, decorating my own locker with tons and tons of photos, but most importantly I would be going to prom. As I walked in on the first day of high school, I soon found that Miramonte prevented off campus activities with a security camera and that the locker I would be having for the next four years hated me. No one told me about the stress of tests, homework, or finals either. However, one thing still remains from my fantasy high school life: prom.

            In the childhood movies I watched about high school, prom night was the biggest event ever. Even in freshman and sophomore year, my friends and I were already thinking about our dresses because we all wanted that perfect night. Even if prom isn’t the memory of a lifetime, how often do teenage girls get to indulge in nail painting and curling hair? When else do teenage girls get to try on tens or maybe even hundreds of different dresses in search for the perfect one?

            As I was nonchalantly skimming Facebook in January, I was added to a new group called “Junior Prom dresses!” Prom takes place on March 23^rd and it seemed a bit silly that this group came together with over 157 members in early January. This group encourages positive feedback and helpful suggestions. This group initially shocked me, however, after thinking about it, I began to realize how smart it is to plan ahead. Just as studying for finals isn’t achieved in an hour or a day, dress shopping takes time, patience, and endless searching.

            I ordered my dress after feeling motivation from the Facebook page. After hearing that I already ordered my dress, a friend said, “I’m not even going to think about buying a dress until at least February. Why start the stress now?” However, by buying a dress early, I no longer have the burden that procrastinators carry. Dress shopping only becomes more stressful as prom night approaches. Stores often run out of sizes and online websites can run out of dress designs completely. “Beggars can’t be choosers and why be the beggar?” another friend remarks when she too ordered her dress online. Having to wear a last choice dress because of last minute shopping is no way to celebrate prom.

Prom is not only about the dress either. As the days pass by, there will be so many other things to keep track of that this whole process might induce at least a headache. It’s always good to be prepared, especially for such an important night. Why wait for a headache? In the midst of stressful high school lives, reducing even one source of stress is important. It’s never too early to buy a prom dress and it’s never too early to organize your life.

What are your opinions about prom?

PS: Here's a new schedule for the weeks to come! I'm sorry if I don't follow the schedule all the time.
Monday- Some creative, fictional piece (Coffee Shop, A Monday Memoir, vocab stories)
Tuesday- Musings (food for thought)
Wednesday- Artsy Tips (you'll see. It's a mix of fashion, tips, cool & cute things I discover)
Thursday- MYSTERY THURSDAY! I really don't know what you'll be seeing on Thursdays.
Friday- Friday questions
Saturday or Sunday- some sort of media review (books, apps, movies, TV shows, etc)