The Infamous Prom Pictures
embarrassing, Fun January 21st, 2008After digging through box after box of old photos, I finally found both of my high school prom pictures. So can everyone stop harassing me now? The funny thing about these pictures is that I’m not prepared to say that I look like the Bride of Frankenstein. I actually think I look fairly hot, in a trampy, Little House on the Prairie kind of way. I don’t know. You be the judge.
Note: I have blacked out my date’s eyes, you know, to avoid getting sued and all that. He’s an oral surgeon now and could probably buy me ten times over. Please God, don’t let him find my blog.
First up, the junior prom (click to enlarge)
This is the gown that my Dad didn’t want me leaving the house in. Why? Because under that tiny tulle shawl covered an embarrassing amount of cleavage. Without the shawl, the gown looked and felt like lingerie from Fredericks of Hollywood and now, as a mature woman, I can understand why my Dad was having a coronary. Sorry, Dad.
Memorable moment: When some jerk slam-danced onto my toe and made it bleed. I got blood on my gown and when I told my date what happened, he went over to they guy’s table and had a few words. A few loud words. There may have been a punch involved. Not sure. Then he made him come over and apologize to me. The poor guy didn’t mean it, but he never spoke to me again as long as I was still hooked up with my prom date. Ahhh, fear. The Great Motivator.
Next up, the senior prom. The pendulum clearly swung in the other direction a year later because I zipped myself up so good, only my hands and face were exposed, and just barely. This gown says “Don’t look at me. Don’t touch me. And where’d I put my butter churner?” I don’t recall lace being so “in” that year. I might have just been trying to undo my hooker look from the year before.
Memorable moment: I don’t actually remember anything from this prom, since my brain cells were being fried up in the heat of this gown. Despite its being lacy, there were layers and layers of it, all conspiring to envelope me in a sauna of my own doing. The day was hot. The day was humid. I couldn’t breathe and I’m pretty sure I ripped this thing off and stuffed it in the garbage when the night was over.
So what’s the consensus, people? Bride of Frankenstein or hot, hot hottie? Go ahead. I can take it.
Stumble it!
January 21st, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Memries,
Like the corners of my mind
Misty water-colored memories
Of the way we were
Scattered pictures,
Of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another
For the way we were
Can it be that it was all so simple then?
Or has time re-written every line?
If we had the chance to do it all again
Tell me, would we? could we?
Memries, may be beautiful and yet
Whats too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget
So its the laughter
We will remember
Whenever we remember…
The way we were…
The way we were…
You must be a glutton for punishment…. 🙂
gt281’s last blog post..A DROWSEY SPEEDO
January 21st, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Shield your eyes! Or you WILL go blind. Wow. That’s scary. And Those prom dresses are mainly what makes it so frightening…
January 21st, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Oh you were beautiful. And both are very beautiful pictures ! I am glad you shared !
Jaffer’s last blog post..The weather outlook
January 21st, 2008 at 8:50 pm
I agree with Jaffer–you were/are beautiful. And your dates look HOT! Maybe it was all the lace. Brings back memories…
JD’s last blog post..I’ve Seen David Strathairn in His Underwear so you don’t have to
January 21st, 2008 at 9:12 pm
What were the years? 1997 and 1998? 🙂
You were definitely in the “hottie” category in high school. I just can’t figure out why your date wasn’t smiling. The look on his face seems to foretell all the mouths with bad breath he would be facing in his future.
Thanks for sharing with us.
Lee’s last blog post..A Minor Rant, An Update and Awards
January 21st, 2008 at 9:48 pm
LOL and I thought my dress was bad. The lace one looks like my grandmother’s wedding dress!
Wendy’s last blog post..Lindsey Lohan’s Death Sentence
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:09 am
gt281 — I am absolutely a glutton for punishment. I’m starting to wonder if I should have started a separate blog for all my kid/teen pictures.
Regan — Yes, the dresses are bad. That’s what the 80s were all about.
Jaffer — Oh geez. Thanks. Not the response I was expecting. I guess I just remember not feeling very attractive in high school.
JD — Again, not what I was shooting for, but I’ll take a compliment any day of the week!
Lee — For the record, 1982/83. He never smiled much for pictures. I think it was the “I’m a wrestler/I can kick your butt” thing.
Wendy — The lace one is horrid. Too much of a good thing, me thinks.
January 22nd, 2008 at 7:25 am
Why, you’re almost a child!! :0)
Lee’s last blog post..A Minor Rant, An Update and Awards
January 22nd, 2008 at 7:35 am
What kills me is the backdrop used on the second photo. You’re standing on the beach laced up to the neck!
January 22nd, 2008 at 8:06 am
Lee — No! I’m a cranky old woman!
ann of the shampoo bag — Hadn’t noticed that, although I did see how crappy it was put together. Nice big dent on the right. Brought to you by Chintzy Photography R Us.
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:26 am
See, now we know why no one ever smiled in the old photographs from the 1800’s and early 1900’s. They were all miserable in their “butter churner” dresses. I mean, I’m not saying your dress looks ancient or anything…ah, hell…yes I am.
Momo Fali’s last blog post..These Are The Places In My Neighborhood
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:51 am
Wow.
Just, wow.
My grandmother made my prom dress, though, so I think I showed even less skin at my senior prom. Which is probably why we ended up messing around in his mom’s car. And probably why I pulled off the terrible underwire climbing gear/bra contraption I had to wear.
….and probably why I COMPLETELY FORGOT AND LEFT IT in his mother’s car for her to find.
Oh well. She didn’t like me anyway.
PS…My sister DID get her prom dress at Fredericks of Hollywood. It was gorgeous though.
Shieldmaiden96’s last blog post..Things That Annoy Me, that No Doubt Make Me a Bad Person. A series.
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:46 am
awh.. I think for the time you looked GReat..
Kim’s last blog post..The Adventures of Superman, Batman & Super Dog
January 22nd, 2008 at 12:09 pm
I am highly amused with how identical your poses were, as if the first picture was just photoshopped to change the dress haha. The second picture looks like a painting, because of the background and the dress 🙂
cyberpunk’s last blog post..Seven Weird Things About Me
January 22nd, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Momo Fali — I thank God every day I wasn’t born in that era. I wouldn’t have lasted a day.
Shieldmaiden96 — Funny story! I’ve seen some of today’s prom dresses and I’m completely shocked(ex: http://www.promgirl.net/) They could use a little grandmother.
Kim — Key words…. “for the time…” Yeah, I’ll give ya that.
cyberpunk — I agree. It was weird to closely examine those again after all these years. I also think the hem on the pink dress is too high. It looks odd to me. I hope it’s another 25 years before I look at them again. I have to learn to shut up when I say I’m going to post something. People hold me to it!
January 22nd, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Wow. Second picture, were you planning on living the little house on the prairie lifestyle?
Good thing nobody lit a match. You woulda gone up like a lit firecracker!
January 22nd, 2008 at 3:07 pm
The likely brand of the prairie dress is Gunne Sax I think? Okay, I just checked, and I’m horrified to find that they are available on Ebay (e.g., http://cgi.ebay.com/VTG-GUNNE-SAX-Corset-Country-Girl-Full-Sweep-Dress-XS_W0QQitemZ230213537761QQihZ013QQcategoryZ48869QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem).
I loved them when I was that age, but was always too tall to wear them.
Stacey’s last blog post..Time to find a new barn?
January 22nd, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Heh. Things sure have changed. Have you seen what the “girls” are wearing these days?
Holy crap – I just sounded like my mother!
Jeff’s last blog post..McGruff the Crime Dog
January 22nd, 2008 at 4:23 pm
The second picture looks like my ex’s wedding gown.
And you’re a few years younger than me, but not a whole hell of a lot.
Libertine’s last blog post..Dumbass Voters, Part II
January 22nd, 2008 at 4:23 pm
I’m going to weigh in with a ‘babe’ vote.
There is no wonder wonder you were hot in the second photo – you can clearly see the tropical beach right behind you. It was bad planning, with the smooth water and sunset right there you REALLY should have considered packing a bathing suit and going for a dip! Additionally, your date should have considered a lighter fabric for his suit, or at least a colour that would not show the sand as much. Anyway, as a Canadian I’m jealous of those who were able to grow up in Jamaica or Bermuda – hard to tell exactly where you went to school from the background. Wait, did you transfer from junior prom where you apparently attended a Home Depot training high school located in the southern US and attended mostly by double amputees with bad vision? Oh wait, nevermind …
January 22nd, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Great pictures!
StephanieC’s last blog post..mystery solved!
January 22nd, 2008 at 4:58 pm
It appears that you matured quite a lot between your Junior and Senior years. You look like a young girl in the first, and a young woman in the second. All in all, I would have to say that you come across as pretty ‘wholesome’ in both pictures. Now your date on the other hand……definitely Frankenstein.
lotus07’s last blog post..Deep Woods
January 22nd, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Mike — Agreed. I look like one of those chinese lanterns. Very thin flammable material!
Stacey — Laughed out loud when I saw the Gunne Sax (btw, never knew how that was spelled!) Everything is available on eBay, sadly. I saw someone selling used socks once.
Jeff — I have, and it’s frightful. If I had a teenaged daughter, I’d never let her leave the house in the skimpy styles they’re wearing these days. Don’t worry, I sound like my mother too.
Libertine — The more I look at it, the more it does resemble a wedding dress more than a prom dress. Loved my wedding dress, though. http://junkdrawerblog.com/2007/11/a-big-shout-out-to-us.html
Canucklehead — You kill me.
StephanieC — Yeah, it was fun traveling back in time. Let’s just hope the pink dress doesn’t make a comeback. I can’t imagine the circumstances where it would, but you never know.
lotus07 — Well, he looked better when he smiled. Was there a rule that guys weren’t allowed to smile in their prom pictures?
January 22nd, 2008 at 7:23 pm
How cute. And the same guy too! The hair was tamed I see. The lacy gown was incredibly frilly and lacy. Wow! I like the first gown the best. I bet the date did too! You looked hot, as in sweating hot in that lace sauna suit.
windyridge’s last blog post..Close Your Snack Bag-No Clips Required
January 22nd, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Holy Foster Grants, Bat Man! I KNOW that guy! And he still wears those Robo Cop shades. Man, what a small world. Can’t wait to send him this link.
BigNerd’s last blog post..Nicole Richie: Idiot
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:53 pm
A potato for you.
http://yeinjee.com/asianpop/footy-potato/
Marie’s last blog post..Next time, can I get drunk first?
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:15 pm
We had the same exact poses in the late 70’s with cheap backgrounds! Guess the junior classes didn’t raise enough money! I don’t know why your date isn’t smiling in the first pic, but I can tell you what he was probably thinking in the second one….. “… too much dress! I’ll never get this thing off!” ha ha! just kiddin’
Darla’s last blog post..The Furry Side of the Family
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:16 am
windyridge — It’s amazing to me that my hair didn’t go all frizzy. The more I look at that pink dress, the more I laugh at it. I need to get another post up soon so it’s bumped out of my view.
BigNerd — If he ever did see it, he’d probably be more offended that I put a black bar over his eyes. Not an attractive look.
Marie — Thanks for that link. It’s hideous, but I couldn’t look away.
Darla — True. I think I was in “lock down” mode!
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Not….hot. Thank God the 80’s are over.
January 23rd, 2008 at 11:14 pm
OMG…I have tears in my eyes (well, seriously where else would I have tears.)
You’re hot in that first pic! But that second one looks like a wedding dress…you know if you were the 6th bride of some old guy…living on a compound.
But I actually think I had a blue dress like that…only without the lace. Must have been the style….LOL. And…I hade a female mullet!
DrowseyMonkey’s last blog post..It’s Not Me
January 24th, 2008 at 5:26 am
DrowseyMonkey — Hey, you’re really good about posting family pictures on your blog. What say you give us the blue dress/mullet ensemble, eh?
January 24th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
lol kathy…trust me I’m looking! ‘Cause if there’s one person I like to poke fun at it’s MOI! I have this visual of that mullet pic…my father carried it in his wallet until he passed away…damn…it may still be with him. But I’ll keep looking!
DrowseyMonkey’s last blog post..Watercolours
January 25th, 2008 at 5:59 am
DM — I’ll be waiting….
January 25th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
That was a fun read, and I loved all the comments. Lordy, those prom dresses for this spring??? Not on any daughter of MINE!!! What are the designers thinking? Not, mind you, that I’d want them to go back to that lace number you wore. I got hot just looking at it! 🙂
TM
Ornery’s Wife’s last blog post..What I’ve Been Up To
January 25th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Ornery’s Wife — Somewhere between my pink number and lingerie lies the perfect prom gown. Designers know what teenage girls these days like, which is apparently a lot of skin showing. Yikes!
June 17th, 2008 at 11:06 am
ow my eyes they are bleeding
June 17th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Why afraid that he would sue you?
most men would be proud if his old date, put the picture online….male ego
debt advisor’s last blog post..Business trip to Alicante
June 18th, 2008 at 4:05 am
brooke — Sorry!
debt advisor — You know, you might be right. Hadn’t thought of that.
July 10th, 2008 at 4:21 am
fashionemmie — Like night and day! I know, I should have pixelized his face instead. Maybe I’ll go back and fix that.
August 13th, 2008 at 3:00 am
Great Collection
September 26th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
I don’t recall Prom being so formal back in 1970, yes we went to the prom in a covered wagon, wise guys. I wouldn’t dare post a picture of me as I wore a HUGE afro which was ok but I am not black, and a white suit? Huh? I truly don’t remember what my girlfriend wore but I know she didn’t look as bad as I did. Looking at those old pics is rather painful so congrats on posting yours. Today the look would be rather different, like skin tight, slit up to the mid or upper thigh, platform shoes………I’ll take the good ole days, at least the party after the prom was a hoot!
September 27th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
RichRich — Awesome. And now of course I want to see what you looked like. I look at it this way. Those pictures are from a very long time ago. They can’t hurt me now. Oh, and after-prom parties were the best part of prom night. I remember them better than the prom itself!
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Okay, the second dress was just tragic. I feel so bad for your date. Was this an Amish dance?
March 8th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Matthew Snograss — Hardy har har! No, it wasn’t Amish, but it might as well have been. Don’t I look oh, so off-the-grid?
March 8th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
The dress definitely says, “No, you’re not getting any after the dance.” 🙂
January 7th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
It is amazing to see how prom photos change a little over time. We shoot photos and every few years trends take hold and we see the new styles girls are dressed in. It shows a lot for high school senior photos. Finding old photos can be a fun thing bringing back a lot of memories.
January 14th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Funny story! I’ve seen some of today’s prom dresses and I’m completely shocked.
January 29th, 2010 at 2:26 am
Oh… Well She is good.. But it is really looks like my grandma’s wedding dress…. 🙂
February 12th, 2010 at 2:57 pm
I’d have to say that your Jr.Prom Dress looked a lot better. That second dress looks like your date would get tangled up in the lace every time he touched you. I assume there weren’t many hugs going on that night as that dress looks darned uncomfortable. I will say the hair style is a lot better in the second shot.