Senior Prom

I remember my Junior Year; I went to prom with my boyfriend, Jon. I couldn't find a dress to save my life, so my mom found a seamstress who pieced together the top & bottom from two separate patterns. White with poofy sleeves on top, two layers of black, diagonal ruffles on the bottom. The shoulders kept falling off and if I pulled them up, the chest stuck out. As the seamstress told me during one fitting - "I just don't know what to do with these" - as she motioned to my barely-A sized chest.

My senior year I went with one of my best friends, Anita. I'd actually found several dresses this year but settled on a peach "pumpkin" dress. Strapless, ruched on top, turned under poof on the bottom. I loved this one.

Both years, we all went out to dinner ahead of time. No food served at our prom. We showed up at the high school, the gymnasium decorated with those crazy balloon arches and sculptures, the DJ hooked up in some corner. Oh, and (the horror) we did our own hair and makeup.

This year was Andee's senior prom. Being my 3rd official prom in NJ, I have learned that its a different world and my proms were very uncool, dare I say "prehistoric"? No tanning, no fake nails, hair extensions, fake eyelashes, professional hair, makeup, $400 dresses, and shoes that I still couldn't walk in. No fancy dinner served at the prom which is held at any number of beach clubs, country clubs, or ritzy hotels. No limos whisking us off to a wild weekend of partying on the Jersey Shore. How oh how did we ever survive without all the accoutrements? Guess we were forced to live off of crazy 80s music, good times, and friendship. I'll take it.