World Journal (New York) - World Journal (New York) - Weekly Supplement
畢業舞會不退潮
夢想、自我、時尚
●Since the 1950s, prom photos have been bellwethers of a changing America. At one high school just outside New York City, the prom is still the main event.
自1950年代起，畢業舞會照片一直帶領改變美國。在紐約市區外的一處高中，畢業舞會仍舊是一大盛事。
●Ever since Life magazine photographed a marathon prom at Mariemont High School near Cincinnati in 1958, proms have been a staple of American photojournalism, visual check-ins on the dreams, egos, libidos, fashions and sometimes the segregated realities of the nation’s youth, dressed to the nines and up all night to get lucky, or just to have fun.
自從「生活」(Life)雜誌1958年拍攝辛辛那提州附近馬里蒙高中(Mariemont High School)的馬拉松式畢業舞會，畢業舞會便成為美國攝影記者的重頭戲，藉由影像了解高中畢業生的夢想、自我、性欲、時尚，有時還有美國年輕人種族隔離的事實。他們盛裝打扮、徹夜不眠看能否幸運獲得一夜春宵或純粹為了好玩。●Hard to believe the things still exist, really.說實話，很難相信這些事至今仍在。
●The prom at Raymond C. Cramer Secondary School in Goshen, N.Y., 50 miles north of the city, puts its own spin on those traditions. The students
just 120, from four grades commute from several surrounding counties, and few have drivers’licenses, so their social interactions, including dating, are largely confined to the school day, or through social media. Romance, here, typically yields to distance.
紐約州戈申村(Goshen)Raymond C. Cramer中學位於紐約市以北50里，該校畢業舞會將這些傳統注入自己的特色。該校四個年級僅有120名學生，他們從多個鄰郡通勤上學，幾乎沒人有駕照，因此約會等社交多侷限於上學日或社群媒體。在這裡談情說愛通常得屈服於距離。畢業舞會並非情侶之夜。
●“We have a few, but it’s really about your friends,”said Melody Geroux, a math teacher and prom chairwoman at the school, where she has taught since 1995. Students arrived solo, with their parents, and then connected with friends inside.該校數學老師與畢業舞會主席美樂蒂．吉魯(Melody Geroux)自1995年在此任教至今，她表示：「本校有一些情侶，但畢業舞會其實是和朋友玩樂。」學生由家長送來，他們未攜伴然後進校和朋友相聚。男生和一群男生跳舞，女生則和女生跳舞。酒呢？攝影師阿莉絲．普莉姆(Allyse Pulliam)表示，到處都沒看到。普莉姆說她來畢業舞會是因為其中單純的喜悅。她說，這跟她的高中畢業舞會相比，「我覺得更單純，我可能哭了三遍了吧。」