The season is upon us for prom chatter to fill the air. Upperclassmen devote hours a day to preparations – girls, searching for prom dresses, hair styles, and restaurants; boys devising prom propositions, tuxedo rentals, and after-parties. Confused underclassmen wonder what all the fuss is about, while a few find themselves shoved into an unfamiliar situation, due to relationships with older kids. Prom is present in teen flicks, parental memories, and part of the mainstream high school experience – but that’s just it: it’s mainstream, and if you don’t flow with the stream, you find yourself getting swept away. Here are a couple prom-alternatives for those who, for one reason or another, will not be in attendance.
Plan a night out with friends.
If you have underclassmen friends or ones who go to another school, HIT THEM UP! Chances are, you know someone who isn’t planning to go to your school’s prom. Get ahold of them and plan to go do something that night – the movies, dinner, swing-dancing, hide and seek, Lazerquest…the options are endless, and most of these activities will cost you a lot less than a trip to prom (which can cost upwards of $200, easily).
Plan a night in with friends or family.
Ladies can get together to watch a couple of chick flicks in pajamas, eat junk food, and just have an all-out girl’s night. Guys can plan a Mortal Kombat tournament, equipped with Cheetos and controllers. Members of both sexes can meet for a game of Scattergories or if you find yourself starting to forget what your family members look like, maybe get together and play a game of Cranium or Scene-It, or (even back to the classics) Monopoly.
Make your own anti-prom.
It’s a decades old idea: a-prom-away-from-prom, either at a friend’s house, a park, or even in an open field. Invite people you know and want to hang out with, bring a boom box (or perhaps, a more modern iPod/dock system), and make sure you’re on public property (and not loitering…or breaking any laws, for that matter). You still get to dress up – without having to buy a $249 dress, gather with your friends, and dance the night away.
Whatever it is you plan to do, make sure you stay safe and have fun!
