When an annual formal or prom comes around, many girls become frantic in an attempt to look “perfect.”

Although many boys and some girls view it as a fun event entailing little preparations and moderate costs, other girls view things such as fake nails, makeup, high heels, hairsprayed-as-hard-as-plastic hair and a perfect gown as near-necessities.

“I start tanning three weeks before dances and proms,” Chelsea Wathen, ’10, said. “I also started to whiten my teeth, get my hair done, my toes and nails done, buy new makeup, jewelery, shoes and a purse.”

However, such preparations can put emotional strain on girls preparing for the night and possibly make it less enjoyable. Unlike the boys who play paintball and video games all day until 30 minutes prior to the event, girls typically spend more time and money for one night of glamor. Simply the costs of tickets are around $100 for a couple, on top of the other necessary items.

“It takes me about a total of five to six hours to get ready for formal events,” Wathen said. “I take a 40-minute bubble bath first. My hair takes the most time and I use six to seven different products as well as two different sizes of curling irons.”

Although some attendees could care less about their appearance and some put their life-savings into expensive accessories and dresses, a majority of girls lie somewhere in between, hoping to look pretty but not risking bankruptcy or their self-worth in the process.

With the upcoming Night of the Stars (NOTS) on Feb. 20, sophomore Austen Houts disregards the stereotypical pressure to look perfect.

“I am not pressured into superficial beauty,” Houts said. “There are different kinds of beauty and everyone is pretty in their own way. There will always be flaws but we should not focus on the little things and instead on what we truly are on the inside.”

However, opinions concerning the time and expenses needed for a formal event vary depending simply on personal preference. According to Wathen, getting dressed up and spending several hours in front of the mirror isn’t a necessity.

“It depends on the person; taking however long you want is fine and some girls wake up and look perfect for the evening,” Wathen said. “It’s important to me because I love being girly and I’m used to it because of dance performances, but if it doesn’t matter to other people then that’s totally fine.”

Disregarding the process girls take to get ready, Wathen focuses on capturing the fun moments of the evening through pictures as the main point of getting ready.

“It’s important to take pictures because your kids will look back at your pictures someday and you want to be able to look your best for one night out of the year,” Wathen said. “I think its really fun to get dressed up and try to look perfect, but I do think internal beauty is important. Despite formals and proms, everyone should strive to feel perfect on the inside.”

So, whether it be a 30-minute quick change or a six-hour-long process, the importance of getting dressed up for formals depends on each girl’s personal opinion. NOTS serves as a chance for everyone to have a great evening, and feel beautiful inside and out as well.

For more information on NOTS, visit the Jan. 28 article, Filmmakers, leadership prepare for NOTS.