Ella Katz So we’ve finally made it to spring 2017. Now, per usual, that means different things for different people. For seniors, it means that senoritis is as relevant as ever. For teachers, it means that they need to start writing their exams and making more frequent trips to Starbucks. For the entire student body, it means more bouncing back after taking some major L’s. And, of course, for anyone with an electronic device, it means that they are sleep deprived due to the new and addicting Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why. There is one thing that I left out however, and that is that fourth quarter means the launch of the “Prom Dresses 2k17” Facebook group. Now, for those of you who don’t know what that is, The Prom Dress Facebook group is an annual group consisting of all the junior and senior girls as well as the few sophomores who will be attending prom that year. The point of the group is to post a picture of your dress so that nobody will run into the unfathomable situation; twinning with another girl unexpectedly. Latin isn’t the only school that does this, in fact most high schools do. The group is a pretty good resource for girls at Latin, however it definitely has its pros and cons, and many have questioned if it is really worth the drama it has caused in recent years. For starters, when you post a melfie of you in your prom dress on a social media platform with 130 other girls who are also looking for a dress, people are bound to talk about you and your dress. For the most part, girls in the Facebook group at Latin are very supportive, commenting encouraging comments such as “SLAY ME” or “YAAAAAS” (shoutout to seniors Isabel Supera and Maat Bates). Senior, Sarah Margulis comments on the positivity that the group brings to her feed when she said, “When I initially heard about the prom dress Facebook group sophomore year, it seemed like a negative thing that pits girls against one another. However, now that I’ve had two years of experience being in the group, I’ve come to realize that the young women in it are very supportive and affirming of one another. I’ve seen nothing but compliments and I think it brings us together.” In years past, however, there have been girls who have felt much differently towards the group than Sarah. For prom last year, while posting pictures of their dress from on online link, many girls forgot to crop out the price of their selected dress, making many girls in the group uncomfortable and nervous about the price of their dress. Additionally, being that it is 2017, with Snapchat stories and Instagram live streams, less and less people are starting to have Facebook accounts. These girls still need to make sure they aren’t twinning with someone, so they make their friends post it for them, which can be time consuming and tedious for both parties. That being said, Senior Grace Coberly reflects on her experience being in the Facebook group by saying that, “At many other schools, the Prom Dress Facebook group is competitive and exclusive. But I’ve always loved the one at Latin!! Everyone is so supportive, and contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t matter if you’re wearing the same thing as someone else. It’s just fun to see what everyone else has picked out!” Overall, many would have to agree with Grace in saying that while there are a few aspects of the group that could be criticized such as the choice of social media platform, or the talking that goes on about the dresses, but the group has proved to be a positive resource for most girls at Latin. If you take anything out of this article, we should not take the positivity and encouragement that we provide one another for granted—it is hard to find another Prom Facebook Group, or school for that matter that is as supportive, and caring as Latin’s. ]]>