Ah, the esteemed tradition of the school dance. Who could forget the painstaking amount of time you spent preparing for it? Picking out your ensemble, deciding which scent of Gap perfume you would wear, choosing the perfect type of body glitter to accent your collarbone, the preparation was endless. All of this, just so you could go hang out in the school gym and do all the things a '90s cool girl did at school dances.
It was never really about the dancing, was it? More often than not, it was about seeing people and being seen. A chance to don a hella cute dress while hanging out with your best friends? Priceless. A chance to play it cool with your girl gang while your crush stood less than fifty feet away? Even better. Whether you were the quiet one in your friends group or the life of the party, there's no denying that you piled on all the butterfly clips in anticipation of all the group pictures you were going to take. You crowded into a minivan with your nearest and dearest, and walked into school on a Friday night ready to create memories that would last you the rest of the weekend.
If any of these actions strike a nostalgic chord, then chances are you were on of the coolest girl at your school dance back in the day
1Stood On The Sidelines With Your Girl Gang
You arrived with your girl gang, you found the rest of your girl gang, and you took up a spot on the sidelines where you could see everything that happened. Prime real estate in the gym was key.
2Requested Inappropriate Songs
No matter how many times the DJ explained to you that he could not, and would not play Sisqo's "Thong Song," you kept requesting it. Because he might break down if you asked enough.
3Performed At Least One Dance Routine
You spent all year perfecting a dance routine with your four best friends, and the school dance was your time to shine.
4Went To The Bathroom In Packs
Going to the bathroom alone? Not a thing. You took at least three of your friends with you to gossip about who was dancing with who.
5Avoided Your Crush Like The Plague
Eye contact every 20 minutes and very little chill was present at every school dance. That crush you prayed would ask you to dance? Logically, the only way to draw him near was to completely ignore him.
6Played It Cool When Someone Asked You To Dance
Me? You want to dance with me? Yeah, sure, OK, let me just make sure I'm not sweating profusely and that I don't vomit on your shoes. A cool smile and a head nod was really all it took.
7Slow Danced With Your Besties
When in doubt, you grabbed your best friend and got on the dance floor to slow dance. Because you didn't care what anybody thought, and it was prime time to scope out the dance floor without looking like a complete stalker.
8Formed A Dance Circle
Everybody get in a circle so that one kid you all knew can breakdance in front of everyone! A true rite of passage.
9Sang Alonh To At Least One "Cool" Song
Generally, a rap song. Perhaps a song with a rap interlude. If you could spit Left Eye's verse in "Waterfalls" from beginning to end? You were a legend.
10Reapplied Lip Gloss Every 20 Minutes
Sometimes every 15 minutes. Stay glossy, gals.
11Doused Yourself In Body Glitter
In the '90s, there was no such thing as too much glitter. More, more, more. Glitter eyeshadow, glitter hairspray, body glitter, rollable glitter.
12Sneakily Applied Eyeliner
Because your mom would not let you out of the house wearing it.
13Did The Macarena
Yes, I'm looking at you. You, with the aggressive hip swivel. Ay, Macarena. Alright!
14Pretended The Chaperones Didn't Exist
Even if your favorite teacher was chaperoning the dance, you avoided them at all costs. Even if you really would've rather been hanging out with them the whole night, talking about your latest English assignment.
15"Oohed" When The First Slow Dance Happened
It took courage (or maybe just a certain level of idiocy) to be the first one to cross that gym floor to ask for a slow dance. And with it? Came that classic chorus of oooooohs. I oohed, you oohed, everyone oohed for the first signs of teenage love.
