WARNING: This one is much more of a personal rambling thing than a debate, but I'd still love to hear your experiences at the end! And I promise next week's will be more interesting -is brain dead-.
Before going to high school, I had read what I thought were the ULTIMATE preparation books: young adult books. Think SAT prep but, in this case, high school prep. Yet when I finally reached the not-so-pristine, not-so-cute walls of my new school... where was the locker-shoving? The table-fuls of cliques? The only things that proved true were the corner make-outs and use of drugs. Surprise, surprise.
That's not to say that I don't love young adult books because they do what they're supposed to: allow us an escape from reality. But that doesn't keep me from being disappointed in the romance area. I'm sixteen and still waiting for my first kiss, a time where I'd expected to have:
• been swept off my feet by a faerie prince (TEAM ASH for the win)
• met my first rugged werewolf, though I might settle for a sparkly vampire instead
• gotten a ride with a sensitive, bad boy (Alex from Perfect Chemistry); rich like Wesley from The Duff wouldn't be bad either...
• met an all-around amazing guy -- Finnick from The Hunger Games is largely underappreciated <33
... Okay, so maybe I didn't expect all of that. I can be reasonable and settle for one. ;)
Which leads to me pondering over prom. Prom seems to have been made into this ritual-of-passing, an inauguration ceremony as children transform into beautiful adults. //end of cheesiness. I'm not saying this is all YA fiction's doing, because it's not. Movies, siblings, music, you name it. *shrug* My expectations aren't that high, but to speculate on this topic: What exactly is prom?
1. TIME TO GET LAID, BABY.
First, two words: American Pie.
American Pie isn't one of my favorite movies, but four guys making a group pact to get laid on prom night basically embodies this notion. Weird, crude, and funny all bundled into one.
Also, I think I'm passing on mentioning how often stories talk about going to a hotel after prom. They're not telling jokes in there all night, that's for sure...
2. Become Cinderella.
Pretty in Pink, anyone? Andie's on here for her freaking awesome prom dress (and fashion taste in general) and sweet relationship with rich boy Blane.
And is there anyone who doesn't know this song?
3. A couple hours for shit to go down. -- Looking at Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, Jessica uses the time to show Lucien the sexiness he's missing out on. Basically, a good time for you to screw over that evil bitch in the corner. You know, the one that stole your date?
4. An opportunity for killers. -- I'm not even touching the movie Prom Night, since I don't watch horror films. But WATCH OUT.
5. A sign of normality in a big, big world -- Next time you're running from crazed vampires and ballet studios, make sure you stop by prom to get your dose of normalcy.
MY VERDICT: OKAY, there's bound to be more things that I missed, but these are the five main aspects I've seen. So next year, when I attend prom, I'll try to get laid with my Prince Charming and cut the straps off my mortal enemy's dress, all while watching my back for serial vampire killers. Sounds like a plan to me. :D
So, what are you expecting from prom or, if you've went to prom already, how was your experience? Embarrassing, life-changing, any or all of the cliches above? Do you know any other cliches I'm missing?
Just a couple prom reads...
