Some may say that prom is one of the most important of a high school girl’s life. It is her chance to look and feel like a fashion icon, even to assert her superiority over her peers, all with her prom dress. With the birth of the new year comes the glamorous, flashy entrance of prom season in its infancy. With so much at stake for such an important night, “prama” – prom drama – is inevitable. Prama can be caused by the social minefield of choosing one’s date, figuring out after-prom, and making sure that on the big day, everything – hair, makeup, shoes, transportation – goes smoothly. However, one of the biggest culprit is the task of choosing a dress.

One effort on the part of prom committee to avoid this “prama” is the creation of a Prom Dress Registry on Facebook. This registry is a group where girls can post the dress they bought and plan on wearing, to reserve it and let everyone else know to not buy it. “Just don’t buy the same dress as someone else. Just don’t. Don’t do it,” explained Alex Musi ’17 of the registry’s rules. While this seems simple and clear enough, it is not a foolproof solution to the problems than can come with choosing a prom dress. The decision of whether or not two dresses are too similar to each other to be acceptable is a difficult line to draw. “I think it’s absurd that if you even post the same color dress, people are sometimes like ‘that’s the same as my dress!,” said a student who chose to remain anonymous. With any new system put in place, even if it seems simple, various social codes and rules will emerge, and the dress registry is no exception. “It can be kind of rough on the underclassmen. Upperclassmen get priority. For example, it’s ok for a senior to get a dress that’s similar to an underclassman’s dress, but it’s not ok for an underclassman to get a dress that looks similar to a seniors,” explained Rachel Ramirez ’17. “People are pretty supportive though. They’ll comment nice things under people’s dresses like “yasss work it’,” followed up Ramirez.

While the prom dress registry is a Wilmington Friends School tradition, there have been rumors of a tie registry for Prom 2017, which would be a groundbreaking first. During initial investigations, many students refused to speak on the validity of these rumors. “Even if there was a tie registry, I couldn’t talk about it,” said Ryan Kirkpatrick ‘17, with politician-like resolve. “There definitely isn’t one,” said Nick Gauthier ’17 firmly; it should be noted this was followed by a wink. After further inquiry, Kirkpatrick hinted that perhaps a student by the name of Andrew Slomski could leak information on the rumored tie registry. It turns out Slomski could do more than leak information on the registry – he is, in fact, the source.” Chris Lee and I started it,” confessed Slomski ’17, after minimal prying (but maximum secrecy). “Not everyone has posted ties, but a lot of people have posted ties. There has been a lot of constructive feedback. It’s nice,” explained Slomski. But is there as much room for variety and competition within the medium of ties as there is in dresses? According to Slomski, the registry is certainly not lacking in creativity. “There’s a variety so far. There’s the classic ties, bow ties, a few more exotic things like bolo ties, and some patterns. I think the students are using this as an opportunity to show off their unique and interesting taste.”

So, what is the consensus on the registry? Does it prevent drama, or evoke even more? And what’s the deal with the tie registry? It seems like opinions on this pressing issue are split. Prom, while an incredibly exciting time for students, can occasionally create some tension between them. However, there is no denying that excitement for prom 2017 is already high!