by Kelci Sagers

Correspondent

Chatting quietly in a corner, red sparkling punch in their hands, a group of tuxedo-clad young men stand, most likely comparing their prom horror stories from earlier that day when all of a sudden, a stray sequin catches one of their eyes. At once, the group of four turn their heads, all in the same direction.

There she was, a stunning goddess in a long, red satin dress with heels dyed to match, quite possibly trying to recreate the song, "Lady in Red," floating down the grand staircase directly ahead of them. A cool breeze blows her long hair away from her face, allowing it to dance around her shoulders, while other girls push backward, giving her more than enough room to pass by. Now, every jaw is on the floor when all of the sudden, a director yells, "Cut!"

No, this is not from a real life prom, but rather a commercial advertising a new gown at a dress store, or perhaps even a floral-scented hair shampoo. Unfortunately, every junior girl dreams of this moment as if it really will come true on that fateful night. And that's where it all begins -- the stress, the drama, and the out-of-proportion headaches for any and all involved.

First comes the shopping. Shopping for a dress, shopping for shoes, and jewelry, and a date, and a handbag, and flowers, and makeup, and, and, and, the list never ends. Typically, a young lady brings her mother or her excruciatingly honest best friend -- a lot of times both -- to ensure that first and foremost, the dress is perfect.

Once that hurdle has been leapt over, its on to the next task: the shoes. They may not even show during the course of the night, but they have an equal share in the getting-ready process. This part of the quest takes a good 7 to 10 trips -- and some very comfy walking shoes. Total involvement of people coming with you? At least two, if not three.

Now that everyone has had time to recover, a new set of friends will be seduced to the mall with promises of fun and laughter, but best of all, jewelry. By the end of the day, now anywhere from 1 to 4 friends will be involved, most of which can feel their heart beating in their head.

Eventually, the chosen young man will be asked -- five months in advance typically -- but only after the dress shopping has been accomplished. Of course, the young lady asking can't be left to do this monstrous task by herself and usually drags in a few more unsuspecting spectators to help.

Sadly enough, in the end, as she tries to recreate the scene from the advertisement or her pre-conceived notions or dreams, she realizes that there is no fan to blow her hair up, her date has no idea where she is and is much too consumed with whatever he and his buddies are talking about to try and look for her, and the only ones who have noticed what she is wearing are the ones who went through the grueling planning and shopping process with her.

Inevitably, her dreams of prom deflate like a burst balloon, and she's left to cry mascara rivers on the stairs that she almost tripped down two minutes ago. Take it from me, in the end, sometimes prom's just not worth it.

Kelci Sagers is a senior at Tooele High School.