Never, not once, did I think that I would run for something like prom court because I was the student who focused on getting into college and being a good girl. Popularity didn’t mean much to me because I saw through all the crap that people over-glorify, just to feel wanted. I was always the type of person to love myself without needing the approval of others. One day, I was in my AP Biology class and it was around the beginning of springtime when my group and I just finished doing our lab. One of my classmates mentioned that there was a new prom policy and the policy stated that if a person already won homecoming court, they couldn’t run for prom court, so people were wondering who was going to run for prom queen and prom princess. My groupmates jokingly suggested that I should run for prom court because I should try something new, and my response was well I don’t have too many friends. People knew who I was but I wasn’t the cool girl who wore stylish clothes or had a lot of social media followers. However, I realized that I only get one high school experience so why not try it out?
All of a sudden, my groupmates were telling people to vote for me for prom court and I knew there was no turning back now. The following weekend I did some research on how to win a prom because I had no idea what to do, especially how to get people to be interested in you, since I didn’t know every senior at the time. I created flyers with pictures of me and these crazy looking colors. Then, I sent them to a couple of popular students because they had enthusiastic personalities and were more sociable, so people would easily engage with them. Over spring break, I thought about the different ways to get people to vote for me, so I decided to make candy bags and pass them out to people, which was a token to me that I would be considered a candidate for prom court. After a while, my self-esteem started to increase and I never felt so confident in something so basic, since prom court and homecoming weren’t my favorite types of experiences. Nevertheless, I made the best of them.
However, there were a few other female candidates who weren’t pleased with my methods of gaining more votes because they felt like I was trying to get people to like me or that it was cheating. It felt so disgusting to hear other women bash me over something so minor compared, to the guys. They were supportive of each other, which makes you think about misogyny and women empowerment. After a while, I laughed it off and continued to focus on school and graduating on time. As soon as prom got closer, I began to get nervous about prom court because I felt like I was a part of a presidential election; I spent money on candy and goodie bags. All of these pessimistic thoughts started running through my head and I started doubting myself. What made things easier was receiving all the love and support from friends and family that day. They complimented my dress and shoes and I felt like a princess. That was my first day wearing a sew-in, a full face of makeup and false nails.
When I got to the hotel where the prom was located, I was mesmerized by the beautiful dresses and suits of my classmates. They were dressed classy and we looked like royalty. Before we entered the ballroom, we had to get our clutches checked and I saw the crowns and sashes sitting on a table, as my heart was beating fast. Soon, we sat down at the table and ate dinner, which I couldn’t do because I was so nervous. Afterward, one of the school staff started announcing the winners…
I won prom princess, but I got the prom queen crown!
