Princess for One Night

Imagine white chiffon decorated with red polka dots, lace and ruffles, this was the "it" style in 1987. Well, I thought the dress was pretty and that I looked fabulous in it. Thinking about that prom dress, I'm wondering why I chose to wear it and surprised no one called me Minnie Mouse in a ball gown. Despite the dress being hideous now in the 21^st century, Eddie looked dashing in his tux with red accents and believed my frilly, full skirt, off the shoulder princess frock made us a charming pair.

In 1987, big, hair bands ruled and George Michael was "hot." I mention George Michael, because Eddie and I had a song by him, "Father Figure." Why this was our song I don't recall. We danced to the tune at Stage 2 (a teen hang-out) and the rest is history. Eddie wanted to be my boyfriend and I just wanted him to be my friend. I agreed to be his date at his prom, since I didn't go to my prom and passed up the opportunity to have pictorial memories of this high school moment.

Eddie was from a very small town in Illinois. I can't recall what his high school looked like, but I do remember we had fun at his prom. We went with his best friend, Richie and his girlfriend at the time. The gym was dark and decorated in prom paraphernalia. All the hits from the 80s blasted from the speakers. There was a lot of dancing and it was awkward dancing in a ball gown, but I eventually figured it out as I swished my hips to "Here I Go Again," by Whitesnake to "I Heard A Rumor," by Bananarama to "Girls, Girls, Girls" by Motley Crue.

If you can't picture what prom would have been like back in 1987, you can rent the movies Valley Girl and Pretty in Pink and it will take you back to the era of big, permed hair, leg warmers and parachute pants. Yes, I grew up where girls exclaimed, "Like OMG," and guys thought the phrase, "Totally, awesome, dude!" was cool to shout.

You're probably wondering why I didn't go to my prom. High school was not a fun experience. I wasn't part of the popular crowd and I wasn't a geek either, but something in between. By not being an "it" girl, I didn't feel a connection to high school so didn't have school spirit or any enthusiasm towards my education. Getting up and going to school was such a chore and I couldn't wait to graduate.

I ended up graduating early and I wasn't around during prom. At the time, I didn't think I was missing much since I considered prom was for the popular princesses and the jocks. I had no desire to be around this group of students. But after I was out of high school and having a blast at the local teen hangout, Stage 2, I reconsidered the prom experience when the opportunity presented itself and thought it might be fun.

It was exciting to shop for a gown and get all dolled up for the event. My parents had fun taking a bunch of pictures and I have memories of what it was like to go to prom. Since my friend was one of the best football players at his school, it was like I was a part of the popular crowd at his prom. It was a completely different experience being at his school than at mine. The students didn't know me, but since I was with one of their star football players I was considered part of the "in" group. This allowed me to feel like a princess for one night.

If I would have attended my high school prom , it probably would not have been as fun as my friend's prom. By going to Eddie's prom, I didn't have to deal with the cliques that excluded me and was able to just enjoy the night. It was a fun evening filled with lots of dancing and I'm so happy that I have a prom experience to share!