Gone are the days of awkward encounters at the prom table when multiple girls realize that their unique, special, one-of-a-kind dress is not so one-of-a-kind.  

Thanks to the Lewismillspromdresses2022 Instagram page, girls no longer need to worry about their special day being ruined by a dress mishap. All that the Mills girls needed to do to prevent someone from snatching their dress idea this prom season was simply stake their claim by posting a picture of their dress or another reference photo. 

No one knows for certain when this fantabulous tradition began, however, its history extends beyond the Class of 2021. Lewis Mills 2021 graduate Taylor Clark noted “I do not know how long this has been going on, but at least since I got to high school,” which would include the 2017-2018 school year. 

The page originally started on Facebook and was a safe space where girls from Mills shared their prom dresses to prevent others from stealing their thunder. Now the page has been transferred onto the more modern social media platform, Instagram. 

And ever since that switch, Mills girls rush each year to snap a pic of their dress before someone else can. Most students seem to agree that using the Instagram page has been helpful. Clark reminisced how “I always had fun getting to see everyone’s dresses beforehand. I think it made the time leading up to prom more exciting!” 

However, some issues still occasionally arise. After all, what is a prom without a little drama? Fellow 2021 graduate Brooke Fitzgerald remembered how “There was a slight issue when a girl would post a dress that looked very, very similar to another girl’s, as this kind of defeats the purpose of the group, which is to make sure you don’t get the same dress as other girls.” 

But overall, most express a sense of gratitude for the prom Instagram page. Fitzgerald still remembers how during her “freshman year homecoming there were two girls in the same dress as I was and it didn’t make me feel great. But no one looks the same at prom and it’s really cool to see!” 

With all the stress associated with prom, it is a great relief for the many girls who use the Instagram page. Clark noted how “I think it had an overall positive effect on prom because if there were any confrontations, they could mostly be worked out before prom to avoid unnecessary drama.” 

Current senior Marcella Slason commented on how the Instagram page has been particularly useful for determining which styles seem most prominent this year. With mermaid gowns, slits, and glitter all the rage, Slason opted for something a bit different, not willing to simply adopt the flashiest trends of the moment. 

Besides preventing potential confrontations and cataloguing the year’s fashion fads, perhaps the greatest achievement of the Instagram page is the guarantee that a wide variety of colors and styles will provide some visual relief from the monotonous sea of black and white suits that affront the dance floor.  

With the past two prom seasons being canceled and quite abnormal compared to past years, the Lewis Mills prom dress page has been an exciting tradition to re-introduce. For many members of both the Class of 2022 and Class of 2023, this year marked their first prom, and the Lewis Mills prom dress page helped to eliminate some of the jitters associated with such an exciting event. Prom has come a long way from what it used to be, and there is no doubt that next year’s will continue the evolution of this hallmark high school tradition.