It’s the end of May, and that means one thing: season has officially begun. (Surely, those unlucky enough to live directly opposite a high school—as I was for two very loud years in Austin— are already aware of this.) For some, the mere thought of prom conjures John Hughes-esque memories of lacy dresses, blooming corsages, proud parents, and worshipful dates; for others ( , hello), prom was a concept best avoided entirely.
Personally, I deeply vibed with the notion put forth in the that prom simply happens too early in life; after all, what is there to celebrate about high school? I’m not ashamed to say I spent my prom night exactly the way I spent every other Saturday night of senior year: parked on my mom’s couch, eating takeout and watching and with my best friend before going to sleep at a reasonable hour. Though I was trying desperately to read as “too cool for prom” (and convincing absolutely nobody; again, I was a regular viewer), my heart still thrills at a good prom story, when it comes courtesy of my colleagues. Below, find eight staffers’ recollections of prom—and, of course, the photos they’ve saved and been generous enough to share here for posterity.
“Circa 2004, I went to Winter Formal with a girl friend (not a girlfriend) and another couple. We split a limousine and a plastic flask of Smirnoff and, it being the San Diegan suburbs, enjoyed a wintry mix of clear skies and 60-degree weather. Everyone in our quartet understood clearly that th.