By Katelyn Fry
June 6, 2017

When I was a teenager, prom was the end-all, be-all of a girl’s high school career. The months leading up to prom night were filled with dress shopping, post-prom planning, and most importantly, finding a date. But as prom season drew closer, and pressure for a date was building, some of my friends felt that being asked to prom by any boy would do – because heaven forbid you were dateless. What should be a fun-filled evening can become a major source of stress. And where’s the fun in that?

Today, teenage girls are doing prom their own way; they are deciding to be each other’s prom date.

Going to prom with your BFF or as a group with your best friends, is slowly becoming as normal as going with a guy – if not preferred, according to my teenage niece and cousin. These teens are avoiding the stress of waiting for a guy to ask them to prom and don’t have to worry about awkward conversations or first dances with their date. And most of all, these girls are able to have a great time with friends at their prom! And for most, that's what it's all about.

Of course, this is not to say that the typical boy-asks-girl-to-the-prom tradition is bad or no longer in vogue. But teenage girls are changing the way we older Savvy Aunties may think about prom.

Next year, my niece, Mikayla, will be a junior in high school get to experience her first prom. Mikayla and some of her friends have already discussed the possibility of going to prom together as a group. As she explained it to me, she plans on keeping these girls in her life long after prom night. “Boys may come and go, but your girlfriends are forever,” she said. So who better to share these memories with?   

Photo: monkeybusinessimages