Senior Prom 1998 Blue Silk Feng Huang Chinese Phoenix Qipao dress

So, like the typical Free Spirit that I am, my Senior Prom was the one I went all out for. I sold all kinds of fund raising stuff, just to pay for my Prom Tickets, and Photos.

Senior prom is supposed to be THE BEST PROM, and THE BEST TIME OF YOUR LIFE...

However, mine was a DISASTER.

To start with, I had been planning my gown since October... and I wanted something entirely unique, however, when I showed up at the prom half the girls were wearing a Qipao also, but usually it was black, red, or black and red.... so, at least mine was this lovely blue, with embroidered Feng Huang (Chinese phoenixes). But, that doesn't sound TOO BAD, now does it, right?

Well, it gets worse. Not only threats of violence, but death threats, several girls threw their drinks on me, and my date, and my date (whom was my friend Bill) got his tire slashed with a razor.
I was also accosted by an angry mob of raging girls in the lady's room that were raving loons, and were accusing ME of being crazy. I think they were on PCP or something.

I LOVE these platform shoes! I still have them! I bought them at SEARS back when they actually sold great products.

I bought this matching bag at a local hippie store in Rancocass Woods, NJ.

I purchased this qipao at a shop in Pennsauken, NJ. The lady told me "this dress was made for you." and I paid in cash. 

Originally, I had wanted to ask a coworker of mine to the prom with me, but he left and went overseas, and worked in Asia & Europe. He told me to my face that he would return in May, and that his father was dying of cancer. He also asked me to call him, but never answered the phone, and YES I made sure the time zone was correct. He also asked me to e-mail him often, but he never returned my letters, even tho' he used to fill up my inbox since I knew the guy...

So, since he wasn't returning, and my actual boyfriend was in Germany, I thought about asking some of my other coworkers... but, one had a new girl friend every few weeks, the other guy I knew one of the girls had a deep crush on, and would kill me, and anyone else was already going to their own Proms at their own high schools.

So, I asked my friend Bill to go with me again, since I went with him the year before.

Anyways, at least I got to go to my Prom, and I also I didn't die.

Gerantion X Bohemian: Peonies, Platforms, and Cola Raver

This photos was shot by my father with an SLR CANON QL FTB analog vintage 1972 Made in Japan camera, on film.
This was shot the day after one of my proms. Either 1996-1998. Frankly I can't specifically remember because I went to 3 proms in high school. I LOVE this camera. And, I actually own it now because my father gave it to me. :)

My parents are the "Baby Boomers" generation, and I am Generation X, near the end, but not the actual end. It was common that maybe of the kids my age in high school were either smokers, stoners, or shroom eaters. Even tho' I had smoked some weed, cigarettes and tobacco were not my thing. I hate them! I wasn't really big on smoking weed, even tho' I had smoked it from about age 16-17 here and there because it was so common. It was so common that visiting a friend often involved smoking a joint with their mom, aunt, grandmother, or neighbors. And, even one of my bosses was a stoner. But, you could get into big trouble if you were 18 or older, and it bothered my work performance, so I just stayed away from it in general, unless I was in pain.

However, my POISON OF CHOICE as a teenager was COCA-COLA.
You might laugh, or find it laughable that Coca-Cola was a major issue for me, but I'm very serious about how much it was. I was addicted to Coca-Cola. And, I emphasize that, because it really was an addiction... Many hard drug addicts laugh in my face about it. 

But, to this day, if I am around sodas, whether they are sugared, or sugar-free, and I cannot stop myself from consuming it, greedily. 

Colas contain phosphates, and types of preservatives which can ONLY be digested with the molecule of calcium in your body, so if you haven't consumed any calcium, which I often didn't, your body must remove the molecules from your bones, and will cause you to have acidosis, and many other degenerative diseases. So, I have limited my intake of this beverage to holidays, or special circumstances only. And, if I knowingly consume some, I make sure it doesn't contain High Fructose Corn Syrup which also contains mercury, and also try to avoid Aspartame which is an excito toxin, and causes nerve damage, and brain damage which will show in old age.

The Platform shoes I had were purchased at ROSS, in Moorsetown New Jersey in the mid-late 1990s. I was VERY MUCH into Eurodance Rave/Ravers like in the Dance-club & European scenes at the time. I LOVE techno still to this day!

The upper arm bracelet I purchased at Virgina Beach on some board walk place (mid 90s). 
And, I believe I got the anklet at a Board Walk in New Jersey... maybe Cape May, or Wild Wood (mid 90s).

The satin blouse I am wearing was 1 of many which I had, which were VERY POPULAR at the time, and semi-resembled clothing from the 1970s. This one had buttons carved out of seashells. Eco-fashion was very "in".

This style of portraits/photography was something my father taught me. I also use it in my artwork. My love & interest in technology is from my father. (Electrician, inventor, handyman)  My father ALSO loves gardening, plants, and had several large ones which could put anyone else's gardens to shame in just one glance even on his worst amount of effort...

If you can tell, I'm NOT WEARING ANY MAKEUP. Even tho' I had, easily about at least TWO BOXES full of makeup, often stuff given to me by relatives, my mom, my mom's friends, and stuff I also bought, I often HATED wearing it. It would bother me, bother my face, bother my eyes, bother my skin, and make me break-out. I didn't know I was allergic to many of the ingredients... I just thought that's what makeup does to you... at the time, anyway.

When I was a teenager, I HATED skirts or dresses, and preferred pants. Tho' I wore gowns to Prom, and was picky about it. Even tho' I recall shooting these photos the day after Prom, I can tell that I've obviously had a shower, because I wore makeup & did my hair (with hairspray *yuck*) for Prom.

These Peonies (the flowers) are a VERY OLD heirloom variety in my Neighbors' yard (Mr. & Mrs. Blue) whom where in their 80s or 90s, and very old. To the right (my left) was actually a large section of this yard that was given to my father for use as his own garden. And, from the vantage point of where my father is shooting this frame, if you were to turn around was another yard, owned by another neighbor where my father ALSO gardened jointly with another neighbor, Peggy.

Behind me, which you can barely see, is the chicken coop, yes with chickens. And, behind that was more gardens by my father (our yard), and pour pool, and probably at the time this was shot, we also had a beautiful pig named Dot.

Even tho' our pigs & chickens were "free range" & "organic", we just called it "homesteading" or "home gardening". We did, however, feed the animals "feed" such as types of corn from sacks.

The live stock were treated very well, got sunlight, a night-light, fresh water, and a wide variety of food. Everything from grass, to grubs in the soil, and all of our leftovers which they LOVED! They also ate whatever we couldn't eat, or give away (because we always had so much) from the gardens. And, if you let the animals out, to run free, the neighbors loved it because they would fertilize the soil. When the sun went down, the animals all knew to go back into their home, and we would close the gates, and lock the doors to keep out foxes, coyotes, owls, and hawks.

Kandice Cola Color Aura by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt

 

Late 1990s Eurodance Techno from BlackUniGryphon on 8tracks Radio.

Generation X Free Spirit Hippie Wedding Ensemble

I believe this was taken around 1997 or 1998.

My not-yet step-stister (whom was the daughter of my mother's boyfriend whom is now Mom's spouse) got herself knocked up by her boyfriend, so she married her boyfriend about a year or so after she had her son.

So this is what I wore. I was about 17 or 18.

Virtually EVERYTHING I'm wearing was either from a thrift shop, or re-gifted to me, and/or borrowed.

The shoes were from a thrift shop, and were my Mom's. I think she gave them to me.

The dress was also my Mom's, and she got it at a thrift shop, like the Salvation Army, and maybe paid $1-3 for it. So, I borrowed it, and she later on gave it to me.

The peacock feather I think was a purple dipped feather from the Philadelphia Zoo I got in 5th or 6th grade.

my mom gave me the watch, and the cuff bracelet was given to me by my Aunt, I think. the gold necklace was given to me by my BF in Germany.

The upper arm bracelet was given to me as a re-gifted item that was re-gifted multiple times from the bride's sister.

My hair style was loosly based on a hairstyle by German Rave Princess and pop star Blümchen (Jasmin Wagner) of whom I was a BIG FAN. The hairdo was based on her hairdoo she wore in a live concert in Berlin sometime in 1995 or 1996, in which she wore 3 braids in front, and the rest of her hair down, wearing what looked (i think) like the same dress she wore in the "Boomerang" music video where she's rollerblading around in Florida wearing a short white prom dress that laces up the back.

So, something like this, but down in the back.

I tried to find the photos online, but failed. I am sure I have it saved on CD-ROMs somewhere by my CD/DVD-ROM drive/player is busted on my computer. So, I can't even see what;s on my disks.


And, the after party was so drab, dull, and boring.
The only food I recall being there, to my memory, was some kind or silver or metal plates with rolled up delicatessen slices rolled in mayo or mustard, left out in the heat.

So, I starved the whole day, until I was allowed to have a bread roll.

And, the cans of cheap soda were warm because all the ice melted in the heat.

Anyways, I recall the wedding to be very boring, in a church, and the people in charge seems to not really care about doing their job. It was also an awkward wedding.


Even tho' I was best friends with the bride in Middle school & high school, and even went to the same high school, I wasn't allowed to participate in the wedding as a bride's made (even tho' I was the only actual "maiden" by which I mean I was the ONLY Virgin). The reason was because I was a Protestant. I was, but I was also New Age, and the bride dabbled A LOT in the occult & WICCA. At the time I still considered myself Protestant, just nondenominational, and altho' I was very socially liberal, I was actually rather religious, and so my my boyfriend.... but, I was also interested in New Age EVERYTHING, as well as ESP, and the paranormal.

As far as I know, the person the bride considered her best friend... might've actually also been a Protestant also... so, I have no idea what to think about that, because that chick was a bride's maid, and I wasn't, and both she, and her sister also called me their sister.

I don't know what it is with brides, but around the wedding time, they all get this attitude... don't know what to call it. It's like this uppity, power-pushing thing... I think it's a real thing. ALL OF THEM.

And, i recall being annoyed with the bride that whole week, and her just ignoring me like I didn't exist, unless she has some smart-ass quips...

Then, after all the party stuff was done, she cried, and hugged me, and thanked me for coming to her wedding, and wailed up a storm all over me...

...um.... whatever... people are weird.

What was that Bill Murray film back in the day where he was a motivational speaker, and he kept saying "OK, I'm over it"?

well...

OK, I'm over it....

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