What pop-culture prom would you want to attend?

Welcome back to AVQ&A, where we throw out a question for discussion among the staff and readers. Consider this a prompt to compare notes on your interface with pop culture, to reveal your embarrassing tastes and experiences, and to ponder how our diverse lives all led us to convene here together. Got a question you’d like us and the readers to answer? Email us at [email protected].
This week’s question comes from contributor Caroline Siede:
What pop-culture prom would you want to attend?
Caroline Siede
I came of age in the early ’00s, which means my senior prom was filled with people bumping and grinding to songs by Lil Wayne and Fergie. Given that I’ve always felt I was born in the wrong decade, I would have much rather spent my prom dancing the Charleston with George Bailey than trying to remember the moves to “Crank That (Soulja Boy).” The graduation dance in It’s A Wonderful Life features all the old-timey charms my own prom was missing. Not only do the students apparently bring their own pies—a phenomenal idea if I ever heard one—there’s also a live orchestra, a dance contest, and a whole lot of patriotic bunting. Plus, there’s always the chance a prankster will open up the floorboards to reveal a secret swimming pool and introduce just the right amount of harmless shenanigans to make the night memorable. Perhaps most importantly, the dance also marks the start of the beautiful relationship between Jimmy Stewart’s character and Donna Reed’s character. And, like Mary Hatch before me, I’m pretty sure I’ll love George Bailey until the day I die.
Becca James
I’m all over Footloose on this one. When Kevin Bacon dons a bow tie and yells, “Let’s daaaaance!” I want to shimmy and shake like I’ve been oppressed by Bible-thumping parents for far too long and the freedom of expression is almost too much to handle. I want to kick off my Sunday shoes like Kenny Loggins encourages and tear that barn up. I would hoot and holler with the best of them while the confetti flies, no one giving a damn about social politics and royal coronations as we all unabashedly bust out the moves we’ve been practicing for weeks. What’s this? Now everyone is sort of skipping across the dance floor? Count me in! And who’s that guy tugging on his suspenders—he’s sort of cute. I’m turning it loose!