YOU'RE INVITED TO THE PROM!

My high school prom occurred during the height of popular John Hughes' movies like "Sixteen Candles" and "Pretty In Pink," so as you can imagine the music and the fashion were totally cringeworthy.

Wow, this sounds great! I unfortunately never made it to prom but can't wait to hear all the stories. Actually...I can't wait to see all the pictures. Good luck with the book, Bruce!

I didn't go to prom. Nobody asked me and it was definitely too expensive to go alone. The senior class council made it so ridiculously expensive that only the "in" crowd could go. None of my friends went. I heard stories about my prom and a lot of girls were pregnant that summer. Someone arrived via helicopter, one arrived in a Hummer limo with a hot tub. Alcohol was readily flowing at all the after parties. I didn't even bother and laughed at their stupidity.

what a great topic for a book :)

This sounds like it could be really funny. I love the prom picture you posted!

My High School prom was in 1974! Yikes!!! I'll have to see if I can dig up any of the pictures.

I like the topic and this group too.Interesting...and Yes! Beautiful picture.

Thanks

I had an Anti-Prom with friends - we went down to the shore and spent the weekend bumming around and having lots of casual, non-dressy fun.

For my senior prom I wore a big poofy white dress. It has pink bows at the bottom and I added a pink ribbon aroudn the waist..it had a huge hoop underneath..it was 1987 after all...I wore my hair up covered with babies breath. My sister-in-law did my hair for me. Instead of a corsage i carried a boquet..I looked like a bride! My dad was Steve Bell. He was actually 19 and had gone to another school. He rented a town car for the ride, we ate at the prom, but after we went to Kyotos, a place where they cooked the food right at the table. I had a horrible night though, my date/boyfriend had cheated on me, I learned of it just two days before....it was with one of my best friends..he got his friend to take her, and he danced with her all night...forced me to sit with the "friend" and took them to dinner with us..then he dropped me off early and took her to a hotel...Not a great night I know....but he and I made up years later, and are really good friends now..they are actually still together, married, with an 18 year old daughter! I have pics if needed...

Laura, My prom was in '87 too! There were only a few "couples" seriously dating at my high school, but mostly people went in groups, which made it a lot more fun. I went with my best friend and we ended up buying these horrific wine coolers and standing around hanging around with our group of friends. Here are a few songs from that year that may or may not have been played at the prom. Blast from the past!!!!

I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me), Whitney Houston

Everybody Have Fun Tonight, Wang Chung

I Think We're Alone Now, Tiffany

La Bamba, Los Lobos

Don't Dream It's Over, Crowded House

I Want Your Sex, George Michael

(I've Had) The Time Of My Life, Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes

Causing A Commotion, Madonna

Something So Strong, Crowded House

(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right To Party, Beastie Boys

Nice memories, but proms ar one of the things that are wrong with school.
Kids and their parents spent too much money;
Drinking on prom night can lead to problems including unwanted pregnancies.
The popular kids parade around like kings and queens and other kids dream about becoming royalty instead of hitting the books and learning about what is important in life.

It really is sad.

thanks for the article
i think the prom is part of american mythology
Mary Ann in spite of what you say and its truth some traditions are there regardless to logic and need
i left the states some years before i could attend a prom,
judging from my popularity in high school, it was a good thing!
the prom may have been good for popular run of the mill types but for nonconformists it is a true night mare, best skipped

I was the DJ at my prom. played record when the band was taking a break.

I nver went to a prom. I was the perverbial knocked up girl.

And while my daughter(hence the knocked up)was homeschooled she still went to all home comings and proms at the local HS with her friends.
Here is a pic of junior prom...she and her girl friends went stag.

BY the way, I love your prom pic! My gosh you two were a site...you could have been in Sixteen Candles!

What happened to the girl?

hi Bruce... this is a wonderful article... i'll get back to you ...

hey everyone! i've been ear to ear grinning all morning reading these comments and memories. i had a realization... even the "tough" moments (like laura c's getting dumped in the corner!) give a chuckle because it's YESTERDAY! it's over. you can just see her sitting there all dolled up with baby's breath in her hair and pink ribbons. it's like i said... a scene from a movie. but i'm glad it all worked out. and, yes, it does look like lisa and i were in "sixteen candles." i'm hoping to find out where she is.... someone out there knows. she went to tulane... and we lost touch. though i've googled her, there are a lot of lisa hunt's out there! and i'm sure she got married. she was a catch.

oh... and i love jennifer's playlist. AND reminding me about wine coolers! bartles & james!!! (sp?) that's what i threw up behind a tree!

My prom was an unmitigated disaster. I waited till the last day. Asked out someone I sort of liked who sort of liked me. Never again. I had felt isolated the whole school year and hoped I would get turned on. I didn't. I remember awkward silence and unfulfilled longing as the major feelings of the night. The only good part was experiencing the dawning as a truly marvellous event.

ohhhhh, noooooooo. My prom was a disaster. It was a fancy private school in NYC, I went with a friend of a friend I'd never met, we had one of those soft music orchestras....I was such a misfit there! I wore a black dress, while everyone else wore frufru. Ohhhhhhhh, very bad.

these are the GREATEST stories... i'd love to encourage people to publish articles and photos to the group... i'm going to be posting some OUTRAGEOUS fun over the next few weeks... and CHALLENGE YOU ALL to dig in those scrapbooks, yearbooks, and memory banks... for all things prom. just wait until you see my picks for "LEGENDARY PROM HAIR."

I loved Proms! It was, truly, "all about the dress" and the shoes, gloves, bag, hair...oh, and a date. No one went to prom without a date. I think young people have made great strides in that area. Now friends go in groups to proms, homecoming and other special dances.

Your prom photos were wonderful! I didn't go to my prom. I went to an all girl's school and I wasn't really dating anyone that I wanted to take.

Oh wow, these are some funny comments! I'm actually a little embarassed to admit that not only did I go to four proms, I was named prom queen. Haha, don't worry this was not a popularity contest in my school (that would be homecoming queen), rather it was chosen by the teacher chaperones. So, if you add the fact that I was also voted "Teacher's Pet" in the senior yearbook, you'll understand how I came to receive the "honor."
I have to say though, for all its shortcomings, prom is definitely a right of passage that shouldn't be missed.

we´ve found a prom queen!!!!!!!!!!!!!! teacher´s pet at that! love it. congrats kristin. thanks for coming forward to admit it. now, please please please dig up a picture!

Katrina - Where were you when I needed you?

I went to a private school overseas, there were only 15 of us in the class and only 3 guys. No good stories from my prom unfortunatley. It'll be fun to read yours though.

Great pictures.