Bella Fiddler

Prom takes a lot of preparation including making plans, picking a dress, and more.

Prom 2025 is right around the corner for juniors and seniors at Benilde St. Margaret’s. Prom is a traditional event for upperclassmen to celebrate the end of their high school years. The night is filled with tuxedos, dresses, corsages, boutonnieres, dancing, and photos. While prom is one of the biggest school events to look forward to for upperclassmen, the special occasion can also come with many stressors, particularly for the girls of BSM.

For starters, one of the most essential components needed for a successful prom starts with a dress. Picking out a prom dress is a chance for students to express themselves and wear a dress fit specifically for the occasion. For some juniors, such as Anna Kelm, finding her prom dress was a low-stress activity, due to borrowing her older sister’s dress. “I didn’t have to go out and buy a new one and get it fit to me, and it’s gonna be really sweet looking back at pictures of me wearing the same dress to my junior prom that she wore to her junior prom,” Kelm said.

Other than finding the perfect dress, another key component of prom is the extra cosmetic care students do to prepare for the event. Although it can become costly, getting hair and makeup done, booking manicures and pedicures, and getting a fresh spray tan are all different things girls may do to feel the best they can. “[Some ways I’ve prepared] is I got my hair done last week, and then I’m getting my nails done today, and getting the spray tan Thursday,” junior Carly Kreger said.

While getting ready for prom can be fun yet overwhelming, the main stressor of prom is the social aspect. Making plans for a big group can cause confusion and, at times, conflict due to miscommunication and wanting everyone to agree on plans. From photos before prom to hanging out after prom, planning can become stressful and even make people less excited to attend the event. “Now that we actually have our plans set in stone, I’m excited to go, but before, I was like, I don’t even want to go. It’s too stressful,” Kreger said.

Another anxiety-inducing part of prom is deciding if you’re going with a date or not. Some students feel no pressure or stress surrounding dates, either due to going with all their friends or having no desire to go with someone else. “No, there’s only like five people with a date in our group, most people don’t have a date. And I didn’t want a date,” Kreger said.

On the other hand, other students do feel forced to find a date, whether it’s a matter of whether the whole group has dates or wanting to go with a particular person. “Honestly, I did feel a little pressure to find a date, just because it was more of a setup, it just made me feel like I needed to,” Kelm said.

But regardless of beauty preparations or social stress, prom is a night made for students to enjoy their high school years and the people they have grown up with. In general, students share feelings of excitement towards the night, and in particular, juniors are looking forward to experiencing prom for the first time, and also get away from the academic stress that school usually causes. “I’m looking forward to just being able to spend time with my friends, outside of school and not having to do any homework or anything,” Kelm said.