Celebrities joined Michelle Obama’s #PromChallenge and shared their throwback photos for a good cause
Throwback photos, celebrities we love, and a call to get out the vote? That checks pretty much all of our boxes for the kind of content we love to see. Our forever First Lady Michelle Obama started the #PromChallenge trend on Tuesday when she shared a throwback photo of herself from her 1982 prom in a pink satin, polka-dotted gown, and the look is causing quite the conversation. She looks absolutely queenly sitting on her very early-’80s wicker chair throne, and our cause of death might be that thigh-high slit. But Obama didn’t just post the photo to throw it back to the good old days—she had a clear message.
“If you’re a student or teacher, join the #PromChallenge with @WhenWeAllVote and @MTV and tell us what your school is doing to register students to vote,” Obama captioned her photo. She continued, explaining the challenge, how to enter, and how When We All Vote works.
"Current students or teachers who take on the #PromChallenge can also apply at prom.mtv.com for the chance to win up to $5,000 for a prom at their school," she wrote. "When We All Vote is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization that strives to increase election participation and provide more access to voting."
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8tpxEDgkRF
Obama has always been quite the trendsetter, so it’s no surprise that more celebs have followed her lead and started posting throwback prom photos of their own.
Speaking of women who secured their place in the White House (on TV, but still) Scandal star Kerry Washington joined the #PromChallenge with a flower power throwback.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8tuSP-HySq
Washington also did a humble brag that this is only one of her prom photos. “It’s not Thursday but I’m throwin’ it back…to prom! Well, one of em. I went to a few. Tee hee,” Washington wrote. We’re sure each one of her prom looks was just as charming.
And then we have Tracee Ellis Ross casually wearing Armani to prom. “18 year old me in 1990 ready for my prom in this @giorgioarmani dress, bangles, and shoes,” Ross wrote. She was clearly living it up in these photos, but she made sure to keep her followers focused on the reason behind the post writing, “Prom was fun, but voting for the first time was life changing.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8tyPwQFjP1
Project Runway judge, author, and journalist Elaine Welteroth shared a series of incredible prom photos, back when “Ashanti was style goals.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8uH3xxh_EK
Even Washington’s Scandal co-star Tony Goldwyn joined in on the challenge. That hair!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8tv6KAhRQW
Even if you’d rather leave your prom photos buried in the past, you can still head to When We All Vote for various resources on registering to vote, finding out your state’s primary date, and learning more about the elections overall. Please everyone, don’t let Queen Michelle down.