25-05-2025
Woman, 27, 'Hated' Her High School Prom. Years Later, She Comes Out and Relives Experience (Exclusive)
Madeline Ford 'hated' her high school prom experience
Looking to heal her inner self, Ford went to queer prom hosted in Chicago
She got dressed up, got her nails done and was nominated for the prom courtMany people would love to redo their prom experience, but not everyone gets the chance. Madeline Ford was one of the lucky few.
Ford, 27, finally got to be her authentic self surrounded by her community after going to a queer prom in Chicago.
The event, which was hosted by a local LGBTQ+ group, was similar to a high school prom. Everyone got dressed up, there was music and dancing, and, of course, a prom court. The dance even had a theme: under the sea.
Ford talks with PEOPLE exclusively about how it felt to "redo" her prom experience nearly a decade later.
It started as all proms do: with a "promposal." Ford's date spoofed Taylor Swift's You Belong With Me music video, showing up with a poster board that read, "You going tonight?"
"I never got that in high school, so I felt like a 17-year-old girl. It brought that out of me. I always wanted one in high school," Ford shares. "It's silly how time has passed, and then to get these experiences again when I'm 27, that reminds you that life is so unexpected. It was so cute."
Ford chose an aqua blue dress to comply with the under-the-sea theme. She got her nails done to match the sparkling gown, and her friend, a makeup artist, did her glam. There was even a photoshoot beforehand; her date wore a boutonniere, and Ford had a corsage.
Ford, who "didn't fully come out" to herself until she was 23, says walking into the space felt like a full-circle moment.
"In high school, you're not confident. Having this experience at this age was so much better," she shares. "I did not love high school prom. I felt insecure and awkward and didn't know how to dance with anybody. I hated it."
"I went to my high school prom with a boy, and I wasn't out, so to be with a bunch of queer people who, most of them weren't out in high school, you could feel the energy in the room of gratitude," she continues. "I feel so grateful to have this community and this safe space."
"It felt like a group effort to let us all heal that part of ourselves," she adds.
To her surprise, Ford and her date were even nominated for prom court.
"Halfway through the night, they made an announcement. We went to the front, and they interviewed all of us," she says. "They picked the winner, and it wasn't me, but I felt like a winner, and that's all that matters."
"The concept of being even nominated for prom queen did everything for me," she adds. "I'm good now for life. I could die happy."
Like all proms, Ford jokes that the night also had a bit of "drama," but the focus was on getting everyone together in one safe space. "Once you find the right community, that's really what changed everything for me," she says.
When she thinks back to the person she was at 17, she wants to tell herself, "There's time."
"The older I get, the more I feel like there is no timeline. You can't be late to your own story," she says. "I would tell myself to calm down, relax, and enjoy the moment, knowing what I know now that it will get better for her."
"Life can be so unexpected and silly," she continues. "I've struggled with mental health in my past, so the fact that there was this wonderful experience waiting for me gives me a lot of hope for my future. I never in a million years could have guessed that when I was 27, I'd be going to prom.
"That gives me hope. In many ways, you never know what's coming."
Read the original article on People
