One night, one life experience. How important can senior ball be?
For the first time in our lives, we seniors are romantically in need.
Those among us lucky enough to have found a significant other by prom season are breathing easy, watching the rest of the school (namely the not-so-suave Martians) bumble through searches and asks, through rejections and fits of terror. And the other half of the single population — that’s us, ladies — are forced to play the waiting game in hopes that a dreamboat will appear with a bouquet, calling our name from the middle of the rally court. But whether she gets that Prince Charming or not, the average Venusian will spend upwards of $150 on a pseudo-glamorous dress, around $75 on her tragically single bid, and at least $50 on grooming, all in an effort to live out the all-American fantasy evening.
Glorified in the media and built up by peers, senior ball is supposedly the culminating social and romantic experience of these four years. Decked out in uncomfortable dresses, sky-high stilettos, and ill-fitting tuxedos on a boat somewhere in the San Francisco Bay, students gather to take Facebook photos and make small talk with the same, somewhat stale people they’ve been seeing for the preceding four, if not more, years. At its core the event is little more than a gilded Homecoming.
In some sense, the night’s magic comes from its formulaic nature. Having been carried out innumerable times in the past, there is a clear, step-by-step equation for the perfect night, a tried-and-true format for creating the memories that epitomize high school. And while, admittedly, this is an unnecessarily cynical view of the milestone event, there is something to be said for making memories organically, outside of over-hyped annual formals.
So seniors, this June 5 whether your’re getting down on the dance floor of the San Francisco Belle or kicking back with a couple of friends and a movie, make it an unforgettable night. We all deserve it.
