We all went through elementary school and middle school fantasizing about dances like Homecoming.

I know little me thought I was going to look like a princess, have a date, and have the night of my life. We all had this picture-perfect idea in our heads of what homecoming would be like, but this never ended up being the reality of it. 

I remember being so disappointed my freshman year. Because of Covid, I wouldn’t be able to experience my first ever high school homecoming. Turns out, it wasn’t the end of the world. Going to a high school dance is something I dreamed about, but I soon realized the dream was more of a stressful reality. 

 A lot of the student body views homecoming as such a big deal, but it’s kind of overrated. We all spend weeks thinking about homecoming and it lasts about only three hours. Why do we stress ourselves out for such a long period of time for something so small? 

With homecoming right around the corner, we’re all panicking about one thing or another. Finding the right outfit to wear, who you want to go with, how you want to get ready, where to go pre and post-homecoming and so many other factors of homecoming that can be nerve-racking.

Finding a dress is annoying. Personally, I’m a terrible decision maker and I know all of my friends are too. “I went to three malls and found nothing and ordered six  dresses online and I hate all of them,” junior Mahi Bhalla said.

Finding the right dress is also extremely time-consuming. For example, we’ll spend hours just scrolling through a website or we’ll take 100 dresses into the dressing room. 

No one should be stressing this much about finding the perfect dress.

If you show up wearing something nice there’s a good chance it could get ruined. You could have really good food on homecoming night but if it’s messy food it could so easily stain your clothes. You’re also outside in the grass with the entire high school. If you get into a mosh pit, you could 100% lose a shoe so don’t overspend on what you’re wearing.  

So many people stress about the idea of having a date as well. Yes, it’s nice to have one, but it’s not the end of the world if you don’t. Some people just want a date for the pictures. If that’s you, just ask a close friend. Asking someone you aren’t as close with can be scary because the thought of rejection is terrifying. That being said, if you don’t find a date, just go with a friend or a group. In the end, going with your friends can often be more fun.

Sometimes a random date can be better than no date, but as Bhalla said, “It’s stressful because I don’t know my date very well, but I’m excited.”

Some of us get ready for hours on the day of homecoming, but by the end of the night, all of that work is gone. The pictures might be a good reason to get completely ready, but most of us don’t even do anything with the pictures and the most we do is post them on social media. Also, don’t overthink your pictures. I’m the type of person that will zoom in on every minor detail in any picture I take, and it’s a terrible habit. It’s not worth your stress to try to get the perfect picture from homecoming. The pictures are to remember the moment not to be staring at them for hours criticizing yourself. 

Very few people handle stress well at all, any minor inconvenience can end in panic. I did spend time during study hall and at home trying to find the right dress online but I didn’t overdo it. I ordered one dress, if it doesn’t work out I’ll take an old dress from my closet and wear it. 

And I’ll be the first to admit I spent a few days worrying about having a date because I didn’t want to be surrounded by all my friends who do have dates, but I came to terms with the fact that I would have just as much fun going with my friends even though they have dates. 

We all experience homecoming one way or another and in my opinion, it didn’t live up to what I pictured, but that’s okay. It’s still a high school tradition that we should all go through at least once.