Xatal

Every year around April, every high school starts buzzing with excitement and drama about prom — who is going with who, what each group is going to be, where they’re going to get dinner, whether or not she’s found a dress or not, and so forth. The prom hype is hard to completely avoid, for better or worse.

If you’re unsure whether or not to go to prom, you definitely should avoid feeling like you have to go. In the end the decision should be up to you, not to somebody else.

Is prom a huge life moment?

No. It’s not. Although with all the hype you might feel like prom is a big deal, the first week after prom will probably be the last that prom is a major conversation topic. By the time the next year starts, prom will be a distant memory for most people. Even in college, prom never really comes up — I believe in my first year at college, prom has come up maybe once or twice.

However, in the high school sense, it definitely is. Prom is the defining dance for your high school life, and so it’s definitely hyped up while you’re in high school. If you decide not to go, be prepared to explain yourself when your friends wonder why you’re not going. You also might feel a bit left out when people talk about prom.

But in the end, prom isn’t any different than any other high school outing — football games, homecoming, and so forth all fall into this same category. Think about any similar event you missed — how much do you regret it? That’s probably what you’d feel if you missed out on prom.

There’s a lot more pressure on girls about going to prom — who your date is, what you do, how your dress looks, and so forth. In deciding whether or not to go, just be ready to explain to everybody why you aren’t going. For guys, it’s typically about having fun, and making the decision as a guy is easier: will you have a good time?

I don’t have a date, otherwise I’d love to go.

Don’t let not having a date discourage you!

Guys, if you’re just too nervous to ask, try to find the confidence to ask a girl to prom. Girls, if you haven’t been asked and are feeling a bit down, it’s okay to ask a guy to prom — just make sure that he’s not going with anyone already! You can also go in a group with your friends.

No matter what gender you are, you can always go with a friend of the other gender — just make it clear when you ask him/her what your intentions are! Going as friends removes a lot of the other pressures of prom, and you two can still have a great time.

So should I go?

Do you think you’d be happy if you went? If you know yourself well enough to say with confidence that you wouldn’t enjoy it, then don’t go — save your money.

But don’t entirely rule it out — a lot of times your dread and anxiety about something (like prom) ends up being much worse than the real thing could ever be, and you miss out on a fun night.

Technorati Tags: prom, high school