if i recall, our prom theme was "wonderful tonight"

this past weekend, i drove up to new jersey to visit my parents.  while i was there, i noticed a familiar-looking piece of fabric draped over a chair.

"wait... is this.. my PROM DRESS?" i asked incredulously.

my mom had found it while cleaning, and thought i might like to have it - maybe if i had any formal events coming up.

i laughed out loud, because i weigh roughly 25 lbs more than i did in highschool.  when i was soaking wet. and holding weights.

but my mom pointed out that it was actually in my (current) size and urged me to try it on.

well shit:

now, it's not like this fit WELL - it took 2 of us to get the zipper up, and my definition of "breathing easily" had to be liberally reinterpreted - but to my surprise, it did technically fit.  confusing.

so when i got back to virginia, i pulled out my old prom photos. i suspected that at the time, the dress was not quite so.. form-fitting.

(i realize there are A LOT of things to talk about in this photo, but for now let's just focus on the dress)

not only was it not form-fitting, i'd say "fitted with the same precision as a burlap sack" would not be too much of an overstatement.

oh hell yes, these are in a homemade, yellowing photo album! 

this is what life was like for skinny girls in the 90s, kids: they didn't make size 0 clothing yet. we just had to wear the stuff that fit our height and hope it didn't look too stupid when it was 3 sizes too wide.

in other news, how hot was my prom date!?  RIGHT? if you remember that picture from a few days ago of me as a freshman, you will understand how amazing it was that i graduated as a normal-looking human with a HOTTTT older man (he was in college by then. it counts) as my date.  BE JEALOUS, other 17 year olds in 1998!

(the reason for the weird corny backdrop on our "official" photo, by the way, is because our prom was held in new york city.  and not just anywhere - at the waldorf astoria. i had basically the best prom in history.) 

so i guess the moral here is that if you want to be able to say you still wear the same size you did in highschool, make sure you wear giant, baggy clothes in highschool. it helps immensely.