The Prom Queen

She may be everything some girls wish to become. For some events, the very ground she treads on is dramatized as hallowed ground. When everyone can be seen doting at her feet, a crown could only be inevitable.

Her sovereignty, it has been said, is the high school and all campus territories in between: "All hail the prom queen!". Perhaps she looks the part or is the most visible student on campus. Either way, she indisputably stands on top of the social ladder.

Elusive as it is, the crown carries with it no duties on the part of the title holder. In this view, the search for prom queen has often been perceived as a straight-up popularity contest, whose sole ends are to corroborate a girl's ranking status at school.

Interchangeably then, the prom queen has often been mischaracterized to refer to the stereotypically pretty, but dense, bimbo who has slept with the whole football team. This image is not only degrading, but patently unfair! Unpopular girls, misfits, geeks, and members of various subcultures more often than not denounce the primacy of looks and popularity over other qualities in this deep-seated institution. Some would argue that their position is equally valid. Students might even rejoice over the fact that prom queens are mostly announced in the second half of their senior year, so their power trip might not be long-lived.

Deeply seated in tradition too is crowning a prom king as much as a prom queen. Other times, high schools even form the so-called "prom court", akin to royalty. Frequently this is comprised of the runners-up for the title and their dates. In many junior-senior proms, a certain prom prince and princess are chosen from among the juniors.

A similar title is often bestowed upon a girl for the duration of homecoming festivities. For all the obvious reasons, she is called the homecoming queen.

Her Majesty

If any female attendant of the high school is crowned prom queen, she is the most popular girl there is. For transparency, the only way to determine who this particular girl is by way of vote by the student body. The election is either conducted ahead of time, or on the prom night itself, by impromptu balloting of the attendees.

Eligibility rules vary across high schools. Most of the time female students are required not to have excessive violations of school policies during their high school career to be eligible for the title. If anything, she must also have settled all financial obligations with the school. Prospective prom queens must also not be previously part of royalty.

Even if the prom includes junior students, the top hierarchy of prom royalty is more often than not exclusive to seniors. Once she meets all qualifications, the candidate is left to campaign in the run-up to prom night, when the coronation is usually held. Come prom night, she must be in attendance or else.

All eyes will be on the winning candidate, especially when she clears the dancefloor -- as she and the prom king are skirted away to dance. She will also be given her moment in the spotlight when she is handed the microphone.

In hindsight, girls should not fret for not bagging the oft' coveted "queenly plum." It just would not be worth it. Especially if the horror of the event carried the night away like it did for Sissy Spacek's character in "Carrie." As a matter of fact, it's not a bad movie to rent—only, might I suggest that you wait until after prom?