You’re not going to the prom! *shock*

“Why is everyone in such a rush to cut their dresses three inches short and, in the guys’ case, get into a tux at the tender age of 15-16?? Why this sudden rush to grow up so fast? Sure there isn’t going to be any booze at the prom, and the teachers will be in for an hour or so, but that said; it’s in a night club from seven til eleven with a, get this, a bouncer at the doors! If you don’t find something wrong with children throwing their innocence and modesty away to have a good ole time at such a young age (and 16 is young. We were only ten six years ago), then there has got to be something wrong with the way you perceive the world.”

Pardon me for sounding like an oldy, but I remember it like it was yesterday, starting year ten. I remember the beginning of our GCSEs, how excited we were to receive our first piece of coursework, how determined we were to write pages and pages for our first ever “real” essay, how rigorously we met deadlines, how passionately we worked; like a bunch of excited kids who seriously needed a taste of reality. Now, almost two long years later, we’re missing every single deadline, losing sleep and ageing in our teens- I could have sworn I found a grey hair yesterday. Well anyway, finally, finally, we’re just two months away from study leave and (it’s too good to be true!!!) the end of year 11!! Goodbye hideous eye bags! Goodbye stress and stress-pimples! Goodbye school uniform (which always made me look like a penguin)! Everyone’s all excited and happy and so, in order to commemorate the end of this horrendous period of our lives, we’re …throwing a prom.

I know what you’re thinking. A prom? In London? God, when are we going to grow up and out of copying everything American teenagers do?? Wasn’t it America that introduced the idea of throwing a huge, grand, ridiculously expensive and totally pointless bash for our “Sweet Sixteen”? And wasn’t it America who taught us the cursed ways of the Big Mac and extra large fries? And now we’re fitting yet another terrible invention from our dear American brothers into our system: the dreaded prom. To be thrown at the end of high school or, in our case, year 11.

When I first heard the news I thought it was just the crazy rantings of a coursework ridden teen suffering from lack of sleep; so you can imagine my mild surprise when, one morning while doing the register, my teacher asked us who was attending. Every hand in the class went up, apart from a few quiet nerds who don’t really have an opinion any way, and of course my own dignified self. My teacher, who knows me to be the fun loving teenager of tomorrow (in an Islamic sense of course! XP) asked me a question that I was expected to get used to hearing over the following weeks, “Oh my good gawd Basmah why aren’t you going to the prom??” So I bored him stupid with my perfectly justified reasons and he dropped it. Pretty soon, everyone found out that I wasn’t planning on attending this prom thing so people started approaching me with an air of ‘girl-I-am-gonna-get-you-through-those-prom-doors-even-if-I-have-to-drag-you-by-your-hijaab’ about them. I got used to constant (annoying) confrontation and people got used to Basmah’s (annoying) pessimistic attitude towards “such an awesome night”. My teacher, knowing how cynical I am about this whole prom thing, didn’t even hand me the letter finalising this idiotic set up. It was fine, it didn’t bother me at all. Until today that is.

It was all happy sailing until one of my friends, unfortunately the main organiser of this prom, confronted me. She asked if I was going and I gave her the standard reply of “No, not my thing” but she, despite how many times we’ve been through the “Boys/short dresses/teens dancing their brains out – seriously not my scene” routine, persisted. The conversation went a little like this…

Prom-girl: Your parents seriously need to lighten up

Me: Please, they don’t even know this thing is on! it’s my own choice to not want to go

Prom-girl: in that case you need to…well…

Me: * used to it all by now * Learn to have a little fun?

Prom-girl: well yeah.

Me: Okay a bunch of girls in unnecessarily short dresses dirty dancing with a bunch of fellars from my science class. Not my idea of fun.

Prom-girl: then what is your idea of fun??

Me: theme parks! * I am one heck of a thrill seeker, people! Also this was the first thing that came to my head X3 *

Prom-girl: and how often do you do that.

Me: actually Cindy and I are going out to Thorpe Park this Sunday, Aisleen and a few other friends and I are going out to the theatre this Thursday and I’m heading out to central London for An Evening With Ali which I’ve been looking forward to for WEEKS this Friday! That’s all a heck of a lot of fun. And in just one week! Your prom happens ONCE. In your entire LIFE TIME.

By this time she’s heard enough and she walked off in a bit of a strop. As people often do when they hear my view on most things XP

Apart from the prom not really being my scene, I have to say, why is everyone in such a rush to cut their dresses three inches short and, in the guys’ case, get into a tux at the tender age of 15-16?? Why this sudden rush to grow up so fast? Sure there isn’t going to be any booze at the prom, and the teachers will be in for an hour or so, but that said; it’s in a night club from seven til eleven with a, get this, a bouncer at the doors and eugh! What a scene!! We’re still walking around in school uniform at school!! We’re still so little, still so -dare I say it?- innocent! If you don’t find something wrong with children throwing their innocence and modesty away to have a good ole time at such a young age (and 16 is young. We were only ten six years ago), then there has got to be something wrong with the way you perceive the world.

And anyway. Based on like one million chic-flicks and enough prom night episodes on TV, I can guess what our prom will look like.

[insert scan here]

So people. If you have an ounce of decency inside you. Create badges and tell the world!!!

DOWN. WITH. PROM.