Megan Flaherty, 17, from New Jersey, arrived at Pennsauken High School’s junior prom on Saturday lying flat in a wooden box. She was driven there in a hearse. Megan slid out of the coffin as her stunned classmates looked on.
Her date, Stephen Caldwell, who had not arrived in a coffin, then took her hand, and the pair walked into the party very much alive.
On social media, some people joked that Megan had “killed it,” while others said the student looked “drop dead gorgeous”. Megan simply said that she “likes being different”.
Megan told local news site NJ.com that her extraordinary entrance was mostly about having fun. But it wasn’t totally random either.
The teen wants to be a funeral director after college, following in the footsteps of family friend Dennis McGee, who, wearing a tux and a top hat, drove the hearse and drew the coffin from the vehicle.
“I made sure my prom date was OK with it,” Megan said, before adding that she knew she’d cause a bit of a stir, but didn’t think her dramatic entrance would be quite so widely shared. “I don’t think they were really processing it. I’m a quiet person in school, so people didn’t expect it.”
While most people saw the humour behind the idea, some have criticised Megan’s decision. They’ve called it “insensitive” and “tasteless”.
