Every year, around this time, America's high school students start turning their thoughts to one thing: prom.Prom is a legendary night of gowns, tuxedos, photographs, limousines, coursages, spiked punch, romance, late-night hotel parties, and figuring out where in the world you are when you wake up the next morning. (If you don't believe me, check out Brian Sloan's A Really Nice Prom Mess.)
At least, that's what I've heard. I never went to prom, but I sure did hear lots of stories about it. Some may have been real, some may have been imagined, but it was all fascinating.
It turns out that trumped up prom stories go as far back as prom itself. The first proms were held in Philly in the 1920s and quickly emerged as the definitive status event for high schoolers who were growing up after World War I, in a land filled with more accessible technology (automobiles and radios), increased prosperity, and a public sentiment that resented immigrants.
In fact, one newspaper headline stated "If You Don't Like This, Go Back to the Country Where You Came From." Along with baseball & apple pie, prom became a national past time and a way for immigrant teens project an "American" identity. National newspapers and radio programs were a big part of this. The second they caught wind of the new phenomenon, they started promoting proms as one of the most important events in a teen's life. Juicy stories from proms were immediately published in teen magazines, and it wasn't long before the first "guidebook" for prom was published, in the early 1930s.
To this day, proms are still big business, and their stories will define America's cultural identity for another generation. However, that doesn't mean you can't make prom your own. After a brief message, we'll return to a list of books & websites that you can use to make prom the best it can be, if you choose to go.
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GLSEN Pittsburgh’s Safe Prom for All
Best Western – Parkway Center Mall
Sunday, May 24, 2009 • 7:00-11:00 PM
Dinner: 7:30 PM • Tickets: $25
GLSEN Pittsburgh is proud to sponsor UNIFIED! where many come together in a safe, nurturing environment without fear of harassment. This annual event is widely anticipated among Pittsburgh’s LGBT youth and their allies. However, this has been a difficult fundraising year for us, so we must receive at least 100 prepaid reservations by no later than Friday, April 24, 2009 for the Prom to proceed as planned.
Tickets can be purchased by check or money order made payable to “GLSEN Pittsburgh.” Please include name(s) of ticket holder(s). Mail to GLSEN Pittsburgh, PO Box 110288, Pittsburgh, PA 15232-0288. No paper tickets will be mailed. Please include your email if you would like electronic confirmation of your purchase. Your name on our paid ticket list will serve as entry to the event.
Our Safe Prom for All is a gathering of young people from the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and straight communities to celebrate an important milestone - graduation. So get out your best duds and your best date and come celebrate - UNIFIED!
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Websites:
BuzzFree Prom - sponsored by MADD, this program is for teens willing to go sober on prom night, in exchange for a card you can use for discounts to your favorite stores.
Lambda Legal: What LGBTQ Youth Need to Know - Do you feel like your school's prom is discriminating against you because of your sexual or gender identity? Check out this Q&A to see what's within your legal power to stop them.
My Prom Style - from the people that bring you Cosmo Girl & Seventeen comes a site dedicated to the fashion, make up, and social cues you need to know about today's prom.
Prom Night - it may not look like much, but this prom site offers good, no-nonsense information for ladies and gentlemen alike.
Stuck at Prom - If you and your date build your outfit out of duct tape, you could win a $3000 scholarship. Even if you decide to go the cloth route, check it out for the pictures alone.
Books:
Anderson, Laurie HalseProm
Ash doesn't want anything to do with senior prom, but when a teacher steals the school's prom fund and her best friend (the prom organizer) turns to her for help, Ash decides to save the day.
Cirrone, DorianProm Kings and Drama Queens
When Emily is forced to choose between a new relationship with her dream guy and planning an alternative prom, all of her values are called into question.
Levithan, David and Daniel Ehrenhaft21 Proms
This anthology of 21 prom stories is filled with as much dancing, drinking, and debauchery as it is about the quiet, fringe moments that make life really special.
Medina, NicoFat Hoochie Prom Queen
The large, boisterous Margarita challenges her stuck up former friend (and now enemy) Bridget Benson to a prom queen contest. How will Margarita size up to the competition?
Nelson, BlakeProm Anonymous
Laura, Jace, and Chloe are three best friends on a prom mission. Will they survive finding dates, dresses, shoes, manicures, hairstyles, and limos long enough to actually go?
Preble, LauraProm Queen Geeks
Becca is the self-proclaimed "Queen Geek" at her high school. When she decides to cement her status by starting her own alternative prom, her best friend Shelby must decide whether to support Becca or go with her boyfriend to the traditional prom.
Prom Nights from HellFeaturing author superstars like Meg Cabot and Stephenie Meyer, this anthology of short stories takes the rose-colored glasses off prom and shows it for the demonic, monster-infested hellpit it truly is.
Wood, Maryrose
How I Found the Perfect Dress
Morgan is a sixteen-year-old half-goddess whose earthly concerns (i.e., junior prom) take a backseat to when she must save her love Colin from a fairy curse.
~Joseph Wilk
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Main
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