Homecoming Superwoman

“What can I do, to make you mine/ falling so hard so fast this time/ what did I say, what did you do/ how did I fall in love with you,” sing the Backstreet Boys from “How did I fall in love with you” off of their record Black & Blue.
You are slow dancing with the cutest, most charming, most popular boy in school. You gaze into each other’s eyes.
“Will you go steady with me?” he whispers. The aroma of his sweet-mint breath rushes into your lungs as you breathe in his words. You are too dizzy with love to answer, so you nod in agreement. He chuckles and leans into you; your lips are finally about to embrace each other.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Your alarm awakes you from this spectacular dream of the homecoming dance. You realize, with a grunt, that you don’t have a clue how to even grasp the concept of what it takes to get ready for homecoming, yet alone go to the homecoming dance.
Have no fear, Homecoming Superwoman is here! The homecoming queen isn’t the only one that plans for the big dance. From the dress, to the hair, to the after party, homecoming isn’t as stressful as prom, but still requires planning by every girl that goes.
         Unless you’re extremely feminist and refuse to go with a date, the first thing on the agenda is to find that special someone. This task is easier for some than others. Some tips to help with this, sometimes dreadful, task is: (1) ask your friends, they know you the best and will be able to find the most compatible person for you; (2) ask that special someone early, you don’t want to give a, potentially embarrassing, speech on why you want to go to the homecoming dance with him only to find out he already has a date; (3) when you’ve decided who you’re going to ask, stay calm and collect, you don’t want to be talking a hundred miles an hour and you definitely don’t want to throw up all over his new shirt.
After you have found a date, (or have effectively protested against needing a date) you have to get a dress. Before you take a running jump off the cliff and go to the closest store, you may want to do some research. Go online and find a couple of stores. Then, gather a group of friends to go along with you. Your friends are most likely going to give you the most honest responses. Next is the fun part: shopping! Enter each store with an open mind. If you go in with only one thing in mind you might not find it and become discouraged. When you’ve found the dress department, pick out multiple dresses of different colors and cuts. One tip is that of color: don’t rule anything out just because Teen Vogue suggests that it isn’t ‘your color’. It could be the perfect dress for you. Now, this next part is crucial to dress shopping. YOU HAVE TO TRY THE DRESSES ON! Yes, each and every dress that you have picked out. This helps you figure out whether or not the teal, satin, flapper dress fits your body best; or if the black, strapless, form-fitter dress reflects your personality the most.
Now that you have the dress of your dreams, it’s time to plan for your hair! This part may require the tactic of trial and error. If you have absolutely no idea how to have your hair here are some starter questions you can ask yourself. Who is going to do your hair? Some options are a professional hair-dresser, your caring mommy, a thoughtful friend, or the fantabulous you. Do you want your hair up or down? Some up do’s could involve hundreds of bobby pins, about an hour of painful pulling, and possibly even some little flowers; all of that, however, does pay off when you look at the b-e-a-utiful reflection in the mirror. Another question is: are you going to have your hair curly or straight? If you are going to have your hair curly, and have long hair, I would do a couple of wavy, Miley Cyrus curls. If you have medium length hair, I suggest big, Marilyn Monroe curls. If you have short hair, spiral, Annie curls would look fantastic. If you are still having troubles with figuring it out, try looking in some fashion magazines.
Once you’ve figured out your hairdo, you apply the make-up. This part also requires some practice. Some more questions to ask yourself are: do you want fun, flirty, colorful eyes? Or sexy, stunning, smoky eyes? Are you going to go with a vintage look including a bright, red-apple lip? Or perhaps, a fairytale, soft-pink lip? You might also want to wear some blush and/or foundation. For the blush you could either decide on a flushed pink or a relaxed nude. The foundation relies strictly on the tone of skin that you have.
  So far you have: found a date, bought a dress, and figured out your hair and make-up. The next thing to do is plan out the night. To do this, you should probably consult with your friends. For the beforehand, you could go out to an elegant, tasty Italian restaurant; or you could have some chips and dip at a friend’s house. If you are planning on going out somewhere, it’s best that you figure out who exactly is going with you and where to go early on in this process. That way you can make reservations. You also are going to need to figure out your form of transportation. If you or your date drives, you’re set. If that isn’t the case, then you will have to arrange rides from parents, older siblings, or friends. The dance alone is never enough, that means there should be an after party! When planning the after party, make sure to invite people of polite characters. Slumber parties are always fun after a dance; just make sure that there is enough space for the invitees. Also remember to ask the adult how many people they will allow. One thing that you should make sure of for the after party is that people bring an extra set of clothes. Most people won’t want to sit around in their formal outfits for very long, after the dance.
It seems to me that you are now ready for, what will be one the best nights of your life. Now that you have the date of your dreams, the perfect dress, amazing hair, beautiful make-up, and all of the before and after plans all you have to do is relax and enjoy the ride. Remember, this night is going to be phenomenal because you have already done all of the work. Just stay calm and collect; the rest will come naturally.
Your lips have finally locked, there are fireworks shooting in the background, and your foot rises along with the smile on your face. You have just realized that your dream has come true.