Do layers look good in thick hair?

I am a true blonde. My hair is so thick, it might as well be called horse hair.... Not for the roughness, but because of the thickness. Prom is coming up in a few months and I want to do my hair a certain way and I want a few layers. I wanted to keep the bottom long and maybe have the mid section of my hair be cut maybe a half inch or inch shorter, and then my top section a little shorter than my mid section. I wanted to spiral curl my hair and every time I do it my curls seem to be straight, and then towards the bottom curly. Let me just say it looks dumb. I just want my hair to look nice. I dont know if you have ever seen A cinderella story. It stars Hillary Duff in it. I want to do my hair like she did it for her dance. That was my plan, my hair is past my shoulders barely and totally one length so the curls look like shirly temple curls ( which I dont like) I think layers when curled, my hair wouldnt all be short there would be areas that were long and areas that were short. What do you think? I am sorry for babbling but this is really important to me.