ideas

All dressed up, with no prom to go to

These high school seniors were looking forward to their last dance. Then their proms started getting canceled.

These high school seniors were looking forward to their last dance. Then their proms started getting canceled.

We photographed 10 students from Omaha in the outfits they had planned to wear to the dance. They talked to us about their prom dreams, hopes and disappointments.
“There’s been so many tears, but I guess the best thing that’s helped me get through it is that I’m not alone,”
Anything could have happened on prom day.
For me, it’s a day to be a princess. We wear uniforms all the time. We don’t get to wear jeans or any cute tops, so it was a day where I can wear something special and cute.
I’m an immigrant from South Korea. I came here for high school. I tell my Korean friends that prom’s a big deal because it’s the last day that you can actually enjoy whatever you want to do before you graduate high school
It’s just another thing that we’re missing out on.
It sucks, because all that stuff is gone, but at the same time, a lot of stuff that I didn’t enjoy for my school is gone as well, so it balances out.
If I have kids, I’ll tell them to make the most of their prom and don’t have any regrets, because something might just come up like this again. You never know when it’s your last prom.
It just feels like I’m missing a lot of the big opportunities that people are always like, “Oh, just wait for this. It’s one moment that you’ll never forget.” I’m not getting those moments.