No matter what sorts of ups and downs they may be facing during their senior year of high school, almost every girl is looking forward to that one special night at the end of the school year that they will remember forever. I am of course talking about prom. It is probably the most important event in any girl’s life up until that point and saying that it is a huge deal is a huge understatement. Here are my thoughts on prom.

Before we begin, it is important to note that there are many different factors that make prom so important, especially for young girls. In other words, there is no singular reason that stands out amongst the rest. And for different girls, there may be different motivating factors behind their perception of prom.

To start off, prom is a way to look beautiful and feel like a princess. Starting with the prom dress. There are typically no other occasions where you dress up that much for an event, and in that sort of elegant style. Sure there are high school dances, but those are with a fairly loose dress code. And if you have worn gowns for things like weddings or other events, they are typically not in the context of your friends and classmates. Prom is the only time you dress up to the fullest extent, and do so in a setting that includes your own peers. And the fact that prom is in front of your peers does play a small role in the need to really dress up and look your best. Yes, girls want to simply look and feel amazing, but doing so in front of their peers is an extra motivating factor (at least a little bit).

Another factor is the social aspect. Proms are typically high financed events by the school, led by good music and good food. Most proms are done in a fancy ballroom, which when juxtaposed with the gym for your school dances truly shows just how all out the school goes to make prom a special night. And that alone makes it a reason that girls (and guys) want to go to prom. There is simply no other social event like it that most high school students have ever experienced in their life up until this point, making it so important to actually go. Even for those who are relatively anti-social realize this and make it a point to go. You only have one senior prom so you should make the most of it, just as you would not just skip out on your graduation even though it is a fairly meaningless event that is in reality optional.

Girls also love prom for the opportunity to be asked out by guys. I’ll be honest – I absolutely loved getting multiple asks to prom. It made me feel special and beautiful, and even though I could only accept one invite, I felt good about myself, plain and simple. But even for those who aren’t quite as popular and only get one invite, that one invite is arguably is even more special given the lower expectations. But in both cases, what really makes prom special is when you are asked out and actually attend prom with your crush. Note that I don’t mean boyfriends, but your actual crush. Prom is literally the springboard that leads to them asking you out, and so there is a lot of high expectations that prom will be the springboard to a real relationship, or at the very least a night to remember.

Speaking of springboard, prom is the perfect opportunity for girls to take advantage of the romance to varying degrees. During the event there is typically a lack of parental guidance, and even after the even the parents of many girls are typically much more lenient in allowing kids to stay out later than usual and “enjoy the night”. At prom itself a girl may experience her first kiss. Or after the event, things may even go further than that at a hotel room or other private location (we won’t go into any details but I’m sure you know what I mean). For a lot of girls, the general aura of the night allows for these events to take place, and so they often use prom as a way to experience such moments.

With so many reasons that girls love high school proms, it is no wonder that girls often feel like their high school years are defined by their prom nights. And although a lot of girls often feel disappointed with the end results of prom, primarily when it comes to romance, the reality is that even without a real date, let alone a real kiss, you can always have a great time at prom. As long as you make the most of it and enjoy the moment to the fullest in whatever capacity you are afforded, you can create an experience that will last a lifetime.