Prom Frenzy: Top 10 Stressors

Yes, it is true–the prom crunch season is upon us. While most people are stressed about two weeks of AP exams and testings, we thought it would be more interesting to procrastinate our studying and discuss some of the most important aspects of what makes for a great prom

1. Dress: The perfect dress: When you think of prom, the first thing every girl imagines is walking down the promenade with the perfect dress, smiling and waving to all those in awe of how she looks. You can’t have a dress that’s too boring, because, well duh, and you can’t have a dress that’s too much, because then you’ll just look extra. Trying to find that middle ground can actually be impossible, with the expected mental breakdown of how this is “the end of your life” and “how prom is so stupid,” but in the end, finding that dress is the best feeling in the world.

2. Finding a Date: Now, for the part that is the main fixation of many junior parents: the prom date. Did you get one yet? Will your date get along with your friends? Do you even really need one? Or is finding one just an additional $105 drain on your bank account? Regardless, the Scituation is looking forward to seeing each and every unexpected coupling on the promenade for the town to see this Friday (and their parents gush about their awkward picture on Facebook).

3. Pictures: The real question: What’s more important–the actual prom itself or the pictures beforehand? Maybe your perfect picture is staged at the 5-star Scituate Yacht club, surrounded by about nine hundred other couples and their parents (and their aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, great-grandparents, neighbors, second cousins, that one relative you haven’t seen since your First Holy Communion). Or maybe this picturesque scene is along the shores of Scituate’s finest beaches, with your heels sinking in the sand, wind sweeping your hair back (and in your face) surrounded by your closest friends and those few people who make you ask, “How did this happen?”

4. Tanning: Finding a perfect tan is like finding a four leaf clover: one might show up one day, but it’s very unlikely. So instead, we want to celebrate the tans that are too orange, patchy, streaky, and dark. Prom is the time for bad tans to shine!

5. Hair-Do: Whether long or short, with highlights or natural, many girls will be faced with many hair-related stressors come dismissal at 1:06 p.m. Although we look forward to the many beautiful hairstyles on display come prom time, we recommend going less Daenarys à la Game of Thrones and aim for more low-key, beachy styles. You’ll be thanking yourself by the end of the night.

6. Makeup: Following getting your hair done, the next most crucial step is makeup. Maybe you’ve trusted someone else with your look, or you’ve watched a few YouTube videos and wasted all of your money at Sephora for the perfect look. Whatever you did, please remember–use the right foundation (no Flashback Mary-esque looks), don’t overdo the eyeshadow, and more eyeliner is not the way to go.

7. Shoes: Please don’t go barefoot. We beg of you. That is all.

8. Ride: An oft-overlooked part of the prom experience is the transportation to the promenade, then the prom, then back to the high school, then back home. The transportation involved is a veritable planes, trains, and automobiles experience, and while we’re sure the bus ride there will be high-octane, expect to take a nap on the bus ride back.

9. After Party: After prom comes the real event: the after parties. Although the Scituation advises against any illegal activity, we wish the SHS student body an exciting prom night!

10. Tables: Finally, one aspect of prom that many are inevitable to forget, yet one of the most important- table selections: Your table selection. This can easily be one of the most difficult tasks–having to decide which of your friends will make the cut and which will be voted off the island. The perfect algorithm requires having the girls control all the decision. According to junior Michael O (last name withheld for obvious reasons), “This is very much a girl controlled enterprise.”  

Considering the average investment in prom attire and embellishments (girls: $6,000 and boys $60), Michael O’s remark is 100% cash.