Awkward Prom Photos That Will Make You Happy You’re Not Still in High School

HE’S ALL THAT

The ironic part of me writing this article is that I didn’t actually go to my senior prom. Not that I didn’t want to. I even had a boyfriend at the time. But since I didn’t really like him all that much I didn’t care to ask him. The fact that he was a few years older and lived a few hours away made that decision all the easier. We broke up soon after. Ah, young love. Yet sometimes, even 20 years later, I question that decision. In the movie Pretty in Pink, Annie Potts summed up the feelings I sometimes find myself having in regards to missing such a monumental event: “My girlfriend always has that feeling that something's missing. She checks her pockets, checks her purse, counts her kids, but nothing's gone. She decided it was side effects from not going to her prom.” However, that’s neither here nor there. There’s a reason I have a shrink. But I can assure you, had I attended my prom, I definitely would have stayed away from wearing anything camouflage or amphibious. I would have rocked #21, though. Don’t judge.

The ironic part of me writing this article is that I didn’t actually go to my senior prom. Not that I didn’t want to. I even had a boyfriend at the time. But since I didn’t really like him all that much I didn’t care to ask him. The fact that he was a few years older and lived a few hours away made that decision all the easier. We broke up soon after. Ah, young love. Yet sometimes, even 20 years later, I question that decision. In the movie Pretty in Pink, Annie Potts summed up the feelings I sometimes find myself having in regards to missing such a monumental event: “My girlfriend always has that feeling that something's missing. She checks her pockets, checks her purse, counts her kids, but nothing's gone. She decided it was side effects from not going to her prom.” However, that’s neither here nor there. There’s a reason I have a shrink. But I can assure you, had I attended my prom, I definitely would have stayed away from wearing anything camouflage or amphibious. I would have rocked #21, though. Don’t judge.

HE’S ALL THAT

PROM CASUAL

“My mom and her priceless prom date, 1976. My mom remained obsessed with this guy for a very long time, and I occasionally find stuff with his name on it when I look through our picture/memory boxes.” We're willing to bet this kid was glad he wasn't the father or else they might have wound up with the same hair or goofy face. Different times...

“My mom and her priceless prom date, 1976. My mom remained obsessed with this guy for a very long time, and I occasionally find stuff with his name on it when I look through our picture/memory boxes.” We're willing to bet this kid was glad he wasn't the father or else they might have wound up with the same hair or goofy face. Different times...

PROM CASUAL

BLOWIN IN THE WIND

“My date for prom (now my husband of 28 years), picked me up at my house and took a few pictures. Then we stopped by his parents' house and his dad was mowing the grass. His mom made him get off the mower and get a quick picture with us.” That look might not fly in today's strict prom picture-taking crowd which society has basically made a ceremonious event at this point.

“My date for prom (now my husband of 28 years), picked me up at my house and took a few pictures. Then we stopped by his parents' house and his dad was mowing the grass. His mom made him get off the mower and get a quick picture with us.” That look might not fly in today's strict prom picture-taking crowd which society has basically made a ceremonious event at this point.

BLOWIN IN THE WIND

CRAB GRAB

“Tried taking a family picture to commemorate my niece’s prom. The wind didn’t cooperate!” Luckily for this family, there's that feature where you can hold down the camera button on your iphone and it will just take a billion shots for you like rapid fire. Hopefully one of those will do the trick for this dysfunctional bunch.

“Tried taking a family picture to commemorate my niece’s prom. The wind didn’t cooperate!” Luckily for this family, there's that feature where you can hold down the camera button on your iphone and it will just take a billion shots for you like rapid fire. Hopefully one of those will do the trick for this dysfunctional bunch.

CRAB GRAB

THE BACK UP PLAN

“My Dad decided that taking family pictures before my Junior Prom was the perfect moment to wear his new Joe’s Crab Shack shirt. None of us even noticed until the pictures had already been taken and uploaded to every social media outlet available. Thanks, Pops!” Nothing better than dear ol' dad embarrassing his princess before prom, and of course it's an embarrassment that will live on forever now that this one made it's way to the internet.

“My Dad decided that taking family pictures before my Junior Prom was the perfect moment to wear his new Joe’s Crab Shack shirt. None of us even noticed until the pictures had already been taken and uploaded to every social media outlet available. Thanks, Pops!” Nothing better than dear ol' dad embarrassing his princess before prom, and of course it's an embarrassment that will live on forever now that this one made it's way to the internet.

THE BACK UP PLAN

DEAD FLOWERS

“My brother took our cat to prom. He couldn’t find a date.” It's hard to tell what's worse here...if it's overwhelmingly creepy that he's taking a cat to prom, if it's even creepier that he dressed his cat in a prom dress, or if it's creepiest that he's a cat person from the start.

“My brother took our cat to prom. He couldn’t find a date.” It's hard to tell what's worse here...if it's overwhelmingly creepy that he's taking a cat to prom, if it's even creepier that he dressed his cat in a prom dress, or if it's creepiest that he's a cat person from the start.

DEAD FLOWERS

PORCUPINE BOY

“Dad thought the flowers at the cemetery would make for some pretty prom pictures.” Yikes... this may not have been the most clever of ideas. Perhaps it was a bit gloomy to bring your kids to a burial ground to take photos before one of the most exciting days of their young life... Well hindsight is 20/20 right?

“Dad thought the flowers at the cemetery would make for some pretty prom pictures.” Yikes... this may not have been the most clever of ideas. Perhaps it was a bit gloomy to bring your kids to a burial ground to take photos before one of the most exciting days of their young life... Well hindsight is 20/20 right?

PORCUPINE BOY

STRIKE A POSE

“High school prom in 1998. I had really long curly hair and wanted to cut it off soon, so I went out with a bang.” We all remember wacky hair day from elementary school, but somebody never let go of that memory. This guy used several bottles of hair gel and went to prom with a pointy hazard on his head. We have to wonder how many people got poked in the eye that night.

“High school prom in 1998. I had really long curly hair and wanted to cut it off soon, so I went out with a bang.” We all remember wacky hair day from elementary school, but somebody never let go of that memory. This guy used several bottles of hair gel and went to prom with a pointy hazard on his head. We have to wonder how many people got poked in the eye that night.

STRIKE A POSE

MY PROM DATE

“Found a picture of my older brother’s prom. Years later, we recreated them.” It doesn't take much to embarrass their big brother, but these two little rascals totally stole the show on his prom night.

“Found a picture of my older brother’s prom. Years later, we recreated them.” It doesn't take much to embarrass their big brother, but these two little rascals totally stole the show on his prom night.

MY PROM DATE

ME, MY DATE, AND THE TREE

“I took a mop to prom in 2004.” This is one of those, "we can't tell what's worse" ones. So here it goes...we can't tell what's worse - the blonde afro on a white guy, the enormous mutton-chops, the white suit in 2004 (maybe not the right era to choose a white suit), or the fact that he couldn't find a date to bring to prom, so he settled for a mop. He's making it hard to feel bad for him.

“I took a mop to prom in 2004.” This is one of those, "we can't tell what's worse" ones. So here it goes...we can't tell what's worse - the blonde afro on a white guy, the enormous mutton-chops, the white suit in 2004 (maybe not the right era to choose a white suit), or the fact that he couldn't find a date to bring to prom, so he settled for a mop. He's making it hard to feel bad for him.

ME, MY DATE, AND THE TREE

The Pregnant Princess

“Old prom picture. They told me to go touch the tree and face the camera.” We all have that one friend who can't help but to be the biggest smart-ass he can be. However clever it may have been, his parents surely weren't amused by his antics in a moment where all they wanted to do was take a classic prom photo for their son so they could remember the moment forever.

“Old prom picture. They told me to go touch the tree and face the camera.” We all have that one friend who can't help but to be the biggest smart-ass he can be. However clever it may have been, his parents surely weren't amused by his antics in a moment where all they wanted to do was take a classic prom photo for their son so they could remember the moment forever.

The Pregnant Princess

A Little Off the Top (And Sides, And Middle, And Bottom)

Hey, why let a little thing like a pregnancy stop you from wearing the slutty prom dress of your dreams? And won’t your future baby be proud when he sees what a prominent role he played in your prom dress? Skanky dresses are bad enough at prom, but accentuating your pregnant belly with a sparkly sash and an outfit that doesn’t cover up much else besides your baby bump is the ultimate in classlessness.

Hey, why let a little thing like a pregnancy stop you from wearing the slutty prom dress of your dreams? And won’t your future baby be proud when he sees what a prominent role he played in your prom dress? Skanky dresses are bad enough at prom, but accentuating your pregnant belly with a sparkly sash and an outfit that doesn’t cover up much else besides your baby bump is the ultimate in classlessness.

A Little Off the Top (And Sides, And Middle, And Bottom)

THE BOOK OF PROM

To start off with, most high schools would never let you go through the door in any of these dresses for any number of reasons -particularly the fact that the slits all go right up to their panties. Next, the black dresses’ midsection manages to look even more slutty than even the bra-top one because having two strips of fabric basically draws the eye to her gut. They must have been trying to save fabric because what other excuse is there for cutting out the entire front section of the black dresses’ skirt?

To start off with, most high schools would never let you go through the door in any of these dresses for any number of reasons -particularly the fact that the slits all go right up to their panties. Next, the black dresses’ midsection manages to look even more slutty than even the bra-top one because having two strips of fabric basically draws the eye to her gut. They must have been trying to save fabric because what other excuse is there for cutting out the entire front section of the black dresses’ skirt?

THE BOOK OF PROM

SAY YES TO THE VEST

“I’m over ‘promposals’ but my little brother’s actually made me laugh.”

“I’m over ‘promposals’ but my little brother’s actually made me laugh.”

SAY YES TO THE VEST

SHARPIED OUT

“My sister’s husband and his group of friends at prom in 1998, aka ‘The Year Sexy Was Invented.'”

“My sister’s husband and his group of friends at prom in 1998, aka ‘The Year Sexy Was Invented.'”

SHARPIED OUT

EVIL EYED

“This is my prom picture. I found this version at my grandma’s years later. If anyone in the family had broken up with a significant other (or if she just didn’t like said significant other), she had a Sharpie ready to joyfully remove the offending partner. Grandma rocked.”

“This is my prom picture. I found this version at my grandma’s years later. If anyone in the family had broken up with a significant other (or if she just didn’t like said significant other), she had a Sharpie ready to joyfully remove the offending partner. Grandma rocked.”

EVIL EYED

SENIOR MOMENT

“A daughter’s first prom.”

“A daughter’s first prom.”

SENIOR MOMENT

SHAWL ABOARD

“My favorite photo from my senior prom. I’m the one in the middle. No regrets.”

“My favorite photo from my senior prom. I’m the one in the middle. No regrets.”

SHAWL ABOARD

PROM FATIGUE

“That time I went to prom and looked like a 45-year-old woman.”

“That time I went to prom and looked like a 45-year-old woman.”

PROM FATIGUE

MISTER POPPINS

“It was 1992. We were at my now-wife’s senior prom. This was our umpteenth picture and we just wanted to hurry up and get out of those clothes–I mean, get to the dance.”

“It was 1992. We were at my now-wife’s senior prom. This was our umpteenth picture and we just wanted to hurry up and get out of those clothes–I mean, get to the dance.”

MISTER POPPINS

THE STRONGMAN

“I usually give my brother a hard time, but I had to give his prom picture some credit.”

“I usually give my brother a hard time, but I had to give his prom picture some credit.”

THE STRONGMAN

ADULT PROM PHOTOBOMB

“Did we have the best limo driver ever?”

“Did we have the best limo driver ever?”

ADULT PROM PHOTOBOMB

“Setting up for a local adult prom. They were in love, I was thirsty.”

“Setting up for a local adult prom. They were in love, I was thirsty.”

“Setting up for a local adult prom. They were in love, I was thirsty.”

“Setting up for a local adult prom. They were in love, I was thirsty.”

“I should have told my date what I was wearing to prom. Oh well.”

“I should have told my date what I was wearing to prom. Oh well.”