You shall go to the Ball!

With the Summer Ball tomorrow, it's got me thinking about Cinderella, a story that has turned the concept of a Ball into somewhat of a fairytale setting. Take a look at the vast collection of high school films that focus on characters at their prom. They make their way there in style (swapping horse and carriage for limousine) and spend hundreds of pounds on outfits. And when they arrive at the prom, we're given the impresion that these are events where anything and everything can happen. Romances can spring from long-standing friendships and the unpopular kid can become an overnight celebrity at his school. And for Cinderella it was a bit of both. She got to dance with the prince while every other woman in the room looked on in jealousy. And although we know we won't get to dance with a prince, and we don't have a Fairy Godmother who will grant our wishes, there is still something special, something magical, about attending a Ball. We make that little extra effort - dress to impress, take hundreds of photos - all to ensure we have the best night possible.
For many of us girls, the first thoughts to enter our minds when we hear about a Ball is 'New dress! New shoes!" Just like Cinderella we want to feel and look like a princess for a night. The only other chance we'll get for this is probably our wedding day, so we need to lap up every chance we get! And let's face it, it's not often we get to see the guys we know looking good in a suit...not hard on the eyes at all :P
So, in whatever context, attending a Ball is special. Everyone is in the mood to party, and you get the feeling that something amazing could happen. Yet, for Cinderella, the real fairytale began after the scene of the Ball. But how likely are we to lose a shoe and just leave it lying around, hoping whoever finds it will search the entire campus to return it to us? It's a romantic notion, but completely far-fetched, and kind of desperate!
In my opinion, the Ball Cinderella attended was not all that. It's famed as the party the entire kingdom wanted to attend, the major event of the year. But in reality it would probably have been a dull gathering of uptight upper-class snobs who had no idea how to have fun. Cinderella wasn't lucky enough to have a ferris wheel, dodgems, Feeder and balloon hats to entertain her! And perhaps that's the real reason she left before midnight :P