Danville Teen Goes Viral Planning TikTok Prom On March 28

DANVILLE, CA — San Ramon Valley High School junior Natalie Reese, 17, had looked forward to her prom since kindergarten, dreaming of her gown "for what felt like forever," she said. But as county officials ordered Bay Area residents to shelter in place due to concerns about the new coronavirus, schools were closed, sports games were called off and prom was canceled.

Reese wasn't going down without a fight. Or not, at least, without putting on her rosy pink gown, curling her hair and dancing around her living room with her dad, as ABC first reported.

Reese chronicled the experience for her followers on TikTok. As of Thursday, that video had received more than 11 million views from people all over the world.

"I just wanted to make the best of the situation at hand," she said.

It was clear to Reese that she wasn't the only one bummed out about missing prom. The response to her video encouraged her to organize a virtual TikTok Prom on Saturday, March 28.

The idea caught on quickly, even earning her a feature on Good Morning America.

Her followers around the world plan to get glammed up, post videos of themselves in their prom garb and flood the "For You" page, a feed of popular videos. It would be a free, digital bash for all.

"I wanted everyone to have the experience that I had," Reese said. "A full day of just feeling beautiful and having fun."

The big day is coming up Saturday. Reese and her family — big supporters of and creative contributors to her TikTok page — have been busy keeping her followers entertained with videos promoting TikTok Prom and giving the world a glimpse into their lives under quarantine.

"Just keep smiling," Reese said. "This quarantine is very temporary."

View her videos here.