The prom pictures you see here are of me in 1987! My Junior Prom…
I wasn’t sure exactly how to introduce this topic. I mean I certainly feel very honored that I was crowned prom queen that year BUT for sure I want you to understand that I share this with you because I genuinely was feeling very appreciated at this time in my life.
Recall that this was the year after my car accident and broken neck. I definitely would say that I was well liked among my peers. Mind you, this WAS a small high school with about 60-70 students per class.
Another thing to note about my Junior Prom…I actually did NOT have an official prom date. lol I was on the prom court with an awesome friend but he had a girlfriend and I was there solo with a group of girls! I was never really into the high school dances too much but his year did turn out to be pretty special.
This is my favorite picture of the night. My parents were chaperones and here I share a dance with my father:
I thought I would take a moment to talk again about body image and how I believe I was feeling about myself as a 16-17 yr old young lady.
As I look at these pictures with the smiling girl looking fairly confident I also remember some really crazy periods during these times in High School.
I look now and I certainly don’t see a girl that was overweight, yet I do recall feeling fat a lot…and dieting a lot.
In fact, the previous year while I was at Oak Grove Boarding School I remember doing some crazy things to lose weight prior to a family Christmas trip to Florida. I was determined to feel awesome in that bikini! I exercised A LOT for months and I went through a period of only eating one meal per day! Ugh…the things young girls do!
There were other diets and craziness. In Ferryville, I used to walk an amazing 5-7 miles a day sometimes in the summer. I know that I focused A LOT on my body and the scale.
Man, I SO want our young girls to not have to feel fixated on their weight and self esteem issues.
I love the photos!
As for the self esteem and young girls, isn’t it crazy? I can remember from a young age be focused on nothing but the numbers. The numbers on the scale and the numbers on the insides of my clothing. I was very active as a youngster through high school but I was never a skinny thing like my friends. I also felt fat and inadequate. I had tons of friends, yet felt alone. This continued for a long time, I would say it even persists today at some level.
I wish there was more emphasis on health and not on numbers. I love the DOVE campaigns because they encourage girls to love themselves just as they are at that momment.
Thanks Kim! I LOVE the DOVE campaigns also! Wonderful! 🙂