The internet can’t stop talking about the electrifying looks that students from a Florida high school brought to their prom.
The venue for the Booker T. Washington High School looked like it was a page ripped straight from a fairytale book as students showed up in breathtaking outfits for the soiree held on Friday, May 11.
The theme for the evening was “Once Upon a Time: Does The Shoe Fit?”
The mesmerizing looks from a high school prom have gone viral following the glitzy soiree on Friday, May 11
Students dazzled in their iterations of Cinderella and Prince Charming, Princess Jasmine and Aladdin, Little Red Riding Hood and her wolf, Belle and her Beast, and Tiana from The Princess and the Frog.
The students arrived in absolute style, rolling into the venue in cars from Mercedes Benz and Rolls Royce. One even arrived in an elaborate horse-drawn carriage.
Students showed up in their take on fairytale couples like Cinderella and Prince Charming, Princess Jasmine and Aladdin, Little Red Riding Hood and her wolf, Belle and her Beast, and Tiana from The Princess and the Frog
Camilo Castro, a senior from the Miami high school, was able to get the ensembles the attention they deserved as his posts from the evening went viral.
“My friends crushed prom✨the theme was once upon a time,” he aptly captioned one of his TikTok videos.
The same video has received 4 million views so far.
One of the viral looks was that of a student who came in a Little Red Riding Hood-inspired ensemble
Another video of his fellow high schoolers stepping on the high school premises in a mesmerizing Beauty and the Beast-themed ensemble racked up 6 million views.
The student was wearing a gold feathered and beaded dress with a large red rose in her hand, while her date, in a navy blue suit, played his “Beast” part well by her side.
Camilo Castro shared clips from the prom night and racked up millions of views, owing to his fellow high schoolers’ breathtaking outfits
Camilo spoke to NBC6 about their high school’s prom content reaching the nooks and crannies of the internet.
“Me personally, I had a high expectation for it to go viral—because they ate,” said the TikToker, who has more than 64.5K followers on the social media platform.
Fellow students were also ecstatic to find their prom looks going viral.
“We are the talk of the nation,” one student proudly said about the media attention their high school prom has received
@laylow_camilo My friends crushed prom✨the theme was once upon a time#fyp #xybca #relatable #fypviral #makemeviral #seniors #prom2k24 #prom #promdress ♬ Tonight (Best You Ever Had) (feat. Ludacris) – John Legend
“Every time we wake up, we see it on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook — everywhere,” one student told the outlet, while another said, “We brought the city out—period. We are the talk of the nation.”
Camilo believes the attention is “great for [their] school. It brings more attention to [their] school and makes it look good.”
A teacher from the high school noted that it was typical of Booker T. Washington’s students to dress to the nines when they arrived for prom. But they admitted this class took things to the next level.
One teacher said it was the norm for the school’s students to show up in dazzling outfits, but this year, it was a completely new ballgame
“This is the norm,” the teacher told the Miami Herald. “But this class set the bar a little higher because everyone understood the assignment.”
One of the students channeled her inner princess and arrived at the prom with her prince charming in a white-colored carriage.
When she stepped out of the pumpkin-shaped carriage, her ice-blue ballroom dress, reminiscent of the Cinderella fairytale, took onlookers’ breaths away.
One pair appeared in a Beauty and the Beast look and garnered more than 6 million views on TikTok
Prom is one of the most important cultural rituals shared by high schoolers in the U.S., and it is, without a doubt, one of the most important events in the school year.
While for many, it is a glamorous celebration of finishing school and heading off to college, it can also make some children feel lonely or anxious if they don’t have a date to go with.
Another student channeled their inner Cinderella and turned up in an icy-blue look that shone in the spotlight
Education Mental Health Practitioner Zakia Jabeen offered some advice to parents on how they can help their children navigate through these times.
“As adults we may think that not having a partner or friend group to go to prom with isn’t a big deal and that you could still go alone. However, if we step into the shoes of a teen, they’re often still trying to navigate the world and find their place in society,” Zakia told BBC.
Princess Rapunzel had her look completed with long blonde tresses and a chameleon on her shoulder
“Having social connections is a very important part of growing up. So when you’re faced with a big event like prom and have nobody to go with it can be very difficult to navigate,” she continued.
“Have a conversation with your child about this but don’t set expectations. Listen to them and try to understand how they feel,” she explained.
The internet compared the high school prom to a Met Gala for teenagers
“Sometimes listening carefully is all it takes for them to open up and share their emotions. It may be that they still want to go to the prom and you can empower them to enjoy their own company and join the festivities as part of the wider school community. Or it may be that they don’t want to go to prom and that is also OK. Meet them where they are at and support whatever decision makes them feel comfortable,” Zakia continued.
Many people online wished their own high school prom had the same pizzazz as the Booker T. Washington High School prom
@nicetia13 Replying to @growingupateam ♬ Disney-style fanfare-style BGM – harryfaoki
The mental health practitioner also noted that it is perfectly normal for a student to not want to go to prom.
“Not wanting to go to prom doesn’t necessarily mean there is something seriously wrong,” Zakia told the outlet. “Of course, if there are more emotional reasons behind the decision as mentioned earlier, it’s important to acknowledge that but your child may simply have a different opinion on proms. Perhaps they dislike crowds or loud music or they just want a more low-key celebration. Just like us adults, teens have likes and dislikes and some are more extroverted or introverted than others.”
Other kinds of celebrations can be arranged in such cases, the expert noted.
“There are a lot of at-home celebrations you can do,” she explained. “You can invite their friends over and have a small party of your own, or go to the cinema, or go for a meal out with family. It doesn’t have to be a prom. Talk to your child about what other ways they might want to celebrate finishing their studies.”
The stunning looks had some netizens saying they were “jelly” of the high school kids
