Girls will do many things to get in shape. Whether it’s for bikini season or a wedding, body image can become a priority. With prom night right around the corner and high school girls’ excitement growing, many wish their waists would shrink.

Prospect High School’s newspaper, The Prospector, recently published an advertisement about “Prom Boot Camp”. According to Jason Block,  the newspaper’s adviser, Prom Boot Camp helps girls get fit for prom in a healthy, safe way.

“It’s a workout place,” Block said. “It tries to come up with a timely sort of way to get kids in the door, and they know that everybody this time of year has their eye on prom, and I know, most likely, they’re targeting girls.”

Jessica Deats, a three-year Prom Boot Camp instructor at Elements Diet and Fitness, explained that Prom Boot Camp was created to teach high school girls how to exercise in a healthy manner.

Hannah Heimdal, a junior at Prospect High School joined Prom Boot Camp this year because she was intrigued by Elements’ advertisement in The Prospector.

“I love that the class is different than typical fitness classes,” Heimdal said. “Each week we do something different like kickboxing or cardio, so we work each muscle group to get the best results.”

While Heimdal is enthusiastic about prom boot camp, girls at South have conflicting views about it.

Senior Sarah Valley* does not think she would not attend the Prom Boot Camp if she saw the advertisement.  Valley does not believe girls should not blow prom out of proportion by spending loads of money to look good for just one night.

“I believe prom is more about having a memorable time with your friends, and shouldn’t be treated like a fashion show,” Valley said.

On the other hand, senior Jane Hawkins* has a different view. She says the ad would interest her, and that she would look into it.

“I think it would be really great to get in shape for prom and look really toned for prom pictures,”  Hawkins said.  “I think it’d be great.”

According to Hawkins, the ad sends a positive message to girls: that they should find healthy ways to make themselves look good.

“Personally, I think that it’s better than diets,” Hawkins said. “With a diet, I feel like you just do it the week before, and then you [regain that weight].  You get more from [working out] than from eating less.”

Block also supports the idea of Prom Boot Camp, but understands that not everyone agrees.

“I am very well aware of the way the media influences girls’ body image, and the negative potential of seeing that girls need to be more thin,” he said.

Block encourages girls who are looking for a way to lose weight to consider an option like Prom Boot Camp where the focus is fitness and they have guidance in the best way keep fit.

“We do think about the ads that we are going to run,” Block said. “I am very conscious of all the issues that go along with prom, and with body image, and the desire to lose weight, when that’s a very, very  slippery slope—it’s a very dangerous thing.”