Oh, for the eccentricities and entertainment of just the right request to go to Prom! (Yes, it really is that time of year. Again.)
Last year, I seem to recall my younger son being encouraged (make that coerced) into repeated prom-asking-behaviors that personally, I found to be a bit much. There was a considerable Butterfly Effect on his moods – and schoolwork.
This year, however, he pulled off a more polished “ask,” and fit it into his hectic schedule. He wrote some lyrics to his desired date’s favorite tune, performed it on a piano in the school theater (for real), and YES – it was a GO for lift-off!
Of course, now it’s the Tuxedo-Rental-Rigamarole, and the guesswork involved in what his date will be wearing. A critical question, as the two are required to be somewhat coordinated, or so goes the traditional wisdom.
And on that note, I couldn’t resist this nifty number nabbed from searching on the strangest prom dresses around. I’m guessing my Kiddo’s date won’t be wearing the chocolate dress, or the hamburger dress. Then again…
As delicious (and apparently edible) as these outfits are, might my son’s prom partner be so personable as to invite the intrigue of the little number we see here? The Condom Dress? It’s certainly festive and colorful (and well, don’t we want our teens to “be safe out there?”)
Now with the right dress, it goes without saying that the right shoes would be de rigueur. Thank you, Oddee.com, for all things strange and wonderful! (Check that link. There are spider shoes and remote shoes and fish flip-flops and steel heels!)
Now, as long I’m tempting your tempestuous teen party persona, shouldn’t we vibrantly, vivaciously (vicariously?) voraciously veer into the viral video, Rebecca Black’s Friday Partying, because, after all, agile adolescents flourish on a flurry of fun, n’est-ce pas?
So let’s wiggle! Let’s wriggle!
And speaking of wiggling and wriggling – consider yourselves fortunate I’m not indulging in my perverse verse affliction-addiction, but – who isn’t dying to know the meaning and origin of the term “rigamarole?” So, compliments of dictionary.com:
any long complicated procedure; a set of incoherent or pointless statements; garbled nonsense
And its origins:
from ragman roll, a list, probably a roll used in a medieval game, wherein various characters were described in verse, beginning with Ragemon le bon (Ragman the good)
Returning to the matter at hand, it is time to rouse my sleeping son, crawl to the mall, and reserve a tux for the Big Event in a few weeks. And hopefully, whatever he chooses will work for the Date-of-his-Dreams, and not ruffle her feathers.
And no, I don’t think he’ll be opting for the Chicken Tux.
But I can’t resist one last excruciating tidbit – here is the worst set of lyrics ever – compliments of Rebecca Black’s latest… Prom Night!
Thumbnail Dress Detail courtesy Oddee.com
Have I told you of my youngest’s girl friend’s obsession? Every time she goes out shopping for a new dress for whatever semi-formal dance is upcoming, she buys him a tie to match.
He must have some pretty cool ties then, Nicki! (All colors of the rainbow?)
How I remember the asking fiasco from last year. I’m still amazed (and not really in the best way) by the social “rules” teens get pummeled by. I have a knee-jerk instinct to resist it all, but I know that it’s impractical and unwise to dismiss it out of hand — my dad’s mistake. Long story …
CT – Funny you say that. I can’t believe it’s been a year since that little tale of teen woe! Yes – teens do get hit with a considerable set of social rules, as you say. One more thing that parents need to be aware of – and try to help give them context. (And then there’s the sticker shock of prom prices… yet one more item that’s not in a budget. 🙁 )
From the weepy to the kid who’s sleepy—sending good cheer in this, the sometimes cruelest month, and the contrarian hope that it will turn out to be the best of times as well.
Good cheer is always welcome, Bruce, thank you.
I think the condom dress for teenagers might not be a bad idea…What an exciting time. I remember both my girls wanting just the right dress, tears, fittings, make up fiascoes, tears, coordination with a hundred other kids for the party bus, etc., etc. And then the night of, both Molly and Kelly looking lovely and excited for this rite of passage, even if their mother wasn’t.
I’m continually amazed by the neices and nephews’ gang dates. Very few of the kids have one date for the prom it would seem. So the prom picts for my brothers’ kids are usually 6 to 8 kids all together and then of course the obligatory ‘this is my dress’ picture for the girls.
Your nieces/nephews sound like they’re having fun! (Panoramic shot on those party pix, Gandalfe?)
Funny how different kids can be. My older did the “go in groups” prom dates, in tie-dyed shirt and regular pants. (Low-cost, millennial hippie.) My younger? Just the opposite. (And there’s a “here’s the tux” picture for the boys, too!)
OMGoodness! A condom dress? I grew up in a conservative Indian household, where prom was a bad word. I ended up going, but with a group. I just saw the condom dress on your site and chuckled a bit because I think my parents jaw wouldn’t just drop to the floor. It would probably stay there.
Huh. And I thought the bodice to that dress was particularly festive, Rudri! (Amazing what some people come up with, isn’t it?)
I once read an article about a group of teens making their prom duds entirely out of duct tape (which comes in all colors of the rainbow, apparently). I seem to recall there was some sort of scholarship awarded to the most creative duct-tape designer. And, really, I think prom would be much more fun if you threw in a little creativity like that. At least then you could guarantee no one would be wearing the same outfit as you!