Prom 101; Tips For Girls

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Jenifer Oliver in Op-Ed

Chronicle Reporter
Jenifer Oliver

Prom is that special moment in every high school student’s life. It is the last dance and a good-bye to the teenage years. The guys build up the nerve to ask the girl they have had a crush on since freshman year to be their prom dates. Girls patiently wait for the guy to give her a bouquet of flowers or chocolates and ask her the proposal-like question “Prom?” I personally prefer pizza but who are we kidding? Not everybody gets asked out and for those of you going stag do not feel too bad.

It will not be the end of your life if you do not get asked out although it is perfectly normal for teenage girls to daydream about the guy in your living room with your corsage and your father staring intently at him wondering what he wants with his daughter. Then the moment when you descend from the stairs in your perfectly fitted gown, flawless skin, and elegant hair and this guy thinks to himself “Where has this girl been all my life?” and your father struggles to hold back tears as does your mother because their little girl is growing up so fast. The guy is left speechless at your hidden beauty and the flash of the camera in your mom’s hand makes you smile. After pictures you both leave the house to enter a black limousine or any other sort of transportation where you enter and he drives you to your perfect night.

Let’s admit it this sounds fantastic but all sorts of things could go wrong. You may end up with the wrong dress, the wrong hairstyle, with a big zit at the tip of your nose, the dress way too tight or loose shoes. For the ladies, the following tips can help you prevent all these tragic events from taking place.

Tip #1: First thing is first, your body. If you want to fit into that dress you bought a month early it is crucial and I say crucial that you maintain that body weight until the day of prom. If by any chance you want to lose the extra curves that you have then by all means start early. It would be a disaster if the already purchased dress is too tight that the zipper will not go up or too small that the bust sags. So formulate an eating schedule that will give you your daily calories but not exceed it or just lay off that extra bag of chips and trade in that soda for a water.

Tip #2: For flawless skin, exercise the habit of drinking water daily. My mother always forced me to drink water saying it is for my own benefit and yes it really is. The amount of water needed to be consumed is eight glasses a day. Practice cleaning your face twice a day and always moisturize after cleansing. Exfoliating is also a good way to get rid of the dead skin cells and dull complexion. Last, but not least always make sure to use sunscreen in order to prevent damage to the skin or sunburns. You are what you eat, literally! So lay off the fast food, it will be worth it.

Tip #3: The hair is also something girls should worry about. You do not want to ruin the perfect hairstyle because you have split ends. For those who do not know, never use shampoo on the ends of your hair, it is only for your scalp. Same goes for conditioner only vise versa, never use conditioner on your scalp only on the ends and make sure to leave it in for at least 3-5 minutes in order to allow it to have effect.

Tip #4: The dress is the most time consuming part so make sure that you start looking right about… now. Do not trust that you will like a dress just by looking at it. It is much safer to go around and try them all on. Get an opinion from someone you can trust like my mom who will not hesitate to say I look like a squash or that I look too dark. In my own experience I have been struggling to find a dress for three months now so start quickly!

Tip #5: It all depends on the dress. Before you pick shoes and jewelry make sure you know what dress you are buying. A few tips for hairstyles: strapless dresses are great with loose hair, strap dresses or v-neck dresses go with half up hairstyles, one shoulder dresses with a side ponytail or a side bun, and a high collar dress can be shown off with your hair up. Sometimes jewelry can add touch but other times it may seem like too much so beware and easy on the bracelets and necklaces especially if you are planning to wear a dress with lots of sparkle.

Tip #6: Opt for a natural look or light make-up. After all you will be dancing around a couple hundred people and sweating so your make-up is bound to smudge. Whatever amount of make-up makes you feel good should suffice. If you will want it done at a store then make sure you know who you want it from and how it will look so go in ahead of time and observe.

Tip #7: Save! Prom is expensive so learn to manage money in order to prevent shortage of money and end up going in last year’s homecoming shoes or dress! Do not rush or else you might end up picking something that will ruin your prom experience.

Tip #8: Last but not least, choose something you feel beautiful in. Sometimes we just have to go with what we love or what we can afford and go with it. Make it your own and feel confident in it. So do not forget to have fun because after all prom is only once!