My 16 yr old dd was talking to dh and I about prom last night, and she asked if she needed to get her date a garter. Dh and I both about choked and said, "NO!" Of course, she was mystified, and asked what it meant, because her friend was getting one for her date. We told her it meant, more or less, that it meant they were involved physically, to which dd turned a bit red and said, "oh." At least, that's what it meant once upon a time, but I suppose it doesn't mean much any more. Anyway, we didn't want her giving a garter to her date. What does it mean to you?

By Kaye on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 - 03:11 pm:

A garter for a date, is like a corsage for a girl. It means nothing more than that to me.

By Karen~moderator on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 - 03:13 pm:

I've never heard that it meant you were involved physically..................

And I've never heard of getting the guys a garter for a prom either..........

By Tonya on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 - 03:18 pm:

Growign up for me I can remember guys having garters around their mirrors from their prom dates. I don't know if it meant it was physical or not or even how they got them if the girls just gave it to them or if they took them off the girl. But to me it is something I think is too young for someone who is 16 to worry about.

By Tayjar on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 - 03:18 pm:

The guys wear the garters on their arm or wherever. It's actually a quite common thing to do. I remember doing that for my proms in the 80s. Maybe it's a midwest thing.

By Luvn29 on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 - 03:19 pm:

I have never ever heard of giving a guy a garter for prom. The only thing I knew you used a garter for was wearing one on your wedding day.

Am I completely out of the loop? I'm only 27!!!

By Reds9298 on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 - 03:26 pm:

I've NEVER heard of getting a guy a garter for a prom. Strange to me! I'm a midwesterner, but I don't think they do that in these parts!LOL Ditto Adena...wedding day only and that's just a formality as it is.

Guess it just depends on where you live. This is a new one for me!

By Melanie on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 - 03:59 pm:

I was about to say ditto to Karen, until I read Tonya's post and realized my bf did hang my garter from his review mirror. LOL.

By Crystal915 on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 - 03:59 pm:

I've never heard of a "garter" in that sense!. To me, a garter is the thing you wear on your leg, and I've lived all over the East coast, TX, and now KS, and hubby grew up in IN, that's something I've never seen before.

By Trina~moderator on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 - 04:00 pm:

Wow, this brought back memories. LOL! I graduated high school in 1981 and was living in PA at the time. We each bought a garter that matched our prom dress, wore it all evening and then gave it to our date as a prom souvenir. It was NOT a symbol of being "physical". At least it wasn't at my school. LOL!

By Bellajoe on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 - 04:00 pm:

I'm in Ohio and we did the garter thing for prom. I don't know why, it's just what we do i guess. We actually wore them on our legs and at one prom i went to, the dj called everyone onto the dance floor with their dates and the guys took the garter off the girls!!!
Of course my date and I were to busy making out to go back inside and do that (**blushing**) LOL!

I have no idea what he did with the garter after i took it off myself and gave it to him later. I do remember seeing the prom garters on the rearview mirror of some guys cars....i didn't think it meant anything other than that you went to prom though.

I think they should do with out the garter from proms...let it just be a wedding thing.

By Sunny on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 - 04:08 pm:

I found this: At some American high schools, it is traditional that girls wear garters to their prom. At the end of the evening, their date removes the garter and keeps it as a souvenir. In some cases, the girls exchange their garters for their dates' bow ties. The tradition of garters at proms seems especially prevelant in Chicagoland, and possibly other parts of the midwest.

I had never heard of it until you posted! LOL Maybe you should suggest instead that she buy him a boutonniere.

By Janet on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 - 04:26 pm:

Oh yeah, she's getting him a boot (can't spell that word, LOL); and I see my dh and I must both be "out of the loop." Oh well, what else is new?

By Crystal915 on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 - 05:11 pm:

LOl, this made me giggle, because when DH and I started dating i "stole" his Eddie Bauer visor, and hung it over my rearview, he called it my trophy. I still wear it, he claims it's still his, but I distinctly remember him telling me I could keep it!! LOL, the silly things we keep as symbols of a special time.

By Dawnk777 on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 - 05:56 pm:

Sarah just went with a friend, to prom this past weekend. She didn't need to buy flowers or a boutonniere, or a garter.

By Babysitbarb on Wednesday, May 3, 2006 - 02:03 pm:

Ok, this is a new one to me. My DD is going to prom this weekend and she won't be doing this. She can save this for her wedding.

By Hol on Thursday, May 11, 2006 - 11:54 pm:

I always wondered what was up with the garters on the rear view mirror. I thought it was sexual (like notches on the belt).

By Pwmamma on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 02:31 am:

Hm, I'm from CA and I never heard of garters for Prom.

The whole symbolism behind garters in weddings is that it's now the husband's 'right' to reach up into his wife's skirts and remove her underclothes...in all fairness it may be innocent but if I were you it would make me nervous too! I'm just old-fashioned in that area though.

But then again, at least she's got good communication with you and is open enough to ask you what it meant!

By Karen~admin on Friday, August 4, 2006 - 07:36 am:

Thread spammed 08-04-06