Ten degrees and snow is still crunching under our winter boots, but that does not stop seniors from browsing and buying their prom dresses.

Prom may be in May, but we have historically started shopping for dresses months in advance. This year is no exception with a noticeable amount of students buying their dresses as early as January.

You may be thinking, “this is ridiculous, why would someone buy their dress so far in advance?” Trust me, we’re thinking that, too. But once we see a gown on the screen of a Chromebook we can’t resist the temptation.

It’s like a domino effect, as soon as one person buys their dress, we might as well start looking. “Just a quick browse on Promgirl or Peaches,” we tell ourselves, then before we know it, three hours have passed and there are 57 dresses under the “my favorites” tab.

The prom dress search has run rampant amongst seniors, occupying hours of online shopping time during class and at home. Your wrist begins to hurt from violently scrolling down after viewing a dress and having no other choice but to click the back button bringing you to the top of the page.

Not only has there been a spike in online shopping, but also in trips to the infamously overwhelming excursion that a visit to Peaches has become. People flock to Peaches to claim their dress before someone else registers it, therefore whittling down your options. Despite the long-lines, strict camera rules and the hour drive, many seniors will end up buying their dress from Peaches. Because what other prom dress stores even exist? And for free the garter, of course.

Searching for the perfect dress isn’t just about the color or style….or the fit, or shape, or length, or fabric, or how it will match with the theoretical peonies you want to get. It’s also about the price. Just like college tuition, the cost just keeps on going up.

You’ve flipped through a million racks and finally you spot it: the perfect dress. It’s exactly what you imagined; it must be too good to be true. And when the price could buy you a new wardrobe there seems to be two options. 1) You quickly walk away pretending you never saw it or 2) You try it on, fall in love, and begin what I like to call the negotiation stage: If I get the dress I could borrow shoes, do my own makeup, maybe use a self-tanner. What happens if I mess up the self-tanner? What’s more expensive, getting my hair or makeup done? Maybe there’s a way I could pay it off like a student loan…

It is January, yet every lunch-table and hallway conversation seems to revolve around prom dresses. Maybe it’s because we rather fixate on the neckline of a dress we will wear for one night, four months from now than talk about college.

Oh and did you hear?! Her dress is Sherri Hill.