She just seemed to know she was getting the tiara Didn’t she? That oh-my-god expression and teary-eyed reaction was all put on. That slow motion walk to stand up near the quarterback was as deliberate as a bitch slap in prison. She had some nerve. You should have been the Queen. You’re the one who decorated the gym and made cookies for the pep club. You were the student council president and the girl that was nice to everyone. And you had to stand there and watch her walk the walk and take the prize. Excruciating. Sound familiar? If it does, you’re not alone.

–ANONYMOUS

If you were a runner up things had to get ugly. After all you put yourself out there and you were publicly rejected. Brutal. Either you went on with your life and became an anchor woman or a courtroom diva ….or you simply put yourself in a position where you never had to compete again.

 Running for Prom Queen begins way before high school . Tea parties and secrets, best friends and pink Barbie parties were the breeding ground for crowns and handsome princes.. We learn then that life isn’t always easy or fair. Our mothers taught us to invite everyone to our birthday party. But some mothers didn’t…and sometimes we were left out.

We quickly learn the art of pleasing to stay afloat in that world of parties and movies and sleep-overs. Sometimes we would give up our training bras to be invited. There were always some girls that were always invited. They didn’t have to do anything. They just accepted that they would be invited…and they were. These are the girls that are in Prom Queen Training. A ritual we were clueless about. But an invisible training camp that produced those icons of American high school life as carefully as the SAS.

 The tiara takes a toll.