by Katie Parkinson
Dress: $100 – $400
Limousine: $200 – $500
Tickets: $50 – $250
Boutonniere/flowers: $10 – $20
Hair/nails/makeup: $30 – $275
These prices are the average amounts of money a typical girl will spend on prom, according to Prom Girl’s website.
Clearly prom is expensive, and over the years it has become a big affair. Prom, short for promenade, originated in the late 19th century. However, what started as a simple co-ed banquet, has become a commercialized event that pressures teenagers into spending more and more money in order to have the “perfect” prom experience.
In 2013, a Visa survey found the average family spends about $1,139 on prom, which was a 5 percent increase from 2012. In general, people in the northeast spend about $1,528, while those in the Midwest spend about $722 on average. Regardless, this is still a ridiculous amount of money for one night of dancing and dinner.
When asked why there is so much pressure surrounding this one dance, STA seniors had different answers:
According to senior Kristin Teahan, prom is like the last big hurrah of high school.
“Prom is like, the thing,” Teahan said. “It’s the last major dance for seniors, so there’s this pressure to make it perfect because it’s the last chance you’re going to have to bond together.”
Senior Beth Mitchell emphasized the cost aspect of the dance.
“I have one dress for two dances, and I feel like there’s a lot of pressure to because you look at all of the other dresses (especially now that we have that Facebook page) but at the same time, I don’t feel like I’m going to spend thousands of dollars on one night,” Mitchell said.
This Facebook page, where girls can post photos of their dresses, was created Feb.4. The goal of this page is to help prevent dress duplicates and just see everyone else’s picks.
Senior Melissa Le said that while this page has some benefits, she doesn’t feel it’s a crucial part of the prom experience.
“It’s nice to have a page like this available to ask for advice on a certain dress you are unsure about, but overall, I don’t think it’s really necessary to have,” Le said.
From unique dresses to extravagant prom-posals, every aspect of prom has been blown out of proportion in recent years. What started out of a fun night for seniors has been turned into a (literal) parade of expensive dresses and unnecessary pomp and circumstance. This starts with pre-prom, a ritual where seniors and their dates walk across the STA stage to be announced. Then it continues into the actual dinner and dance, and finally after-parties.
According to senior Fabiola Gutierrez, part of what makes prom such a big deal at STA is that it is a one time high school experience, whereas at other schools, juniors are also allowed to attend.
Regardless, rather than feeling the need to spend hundreds of dollars on one night, we should enjoy and celebrate this last dance with friends and recognize that no matter what our dress looks like, or whether or not we have a date or arrive in a limo, prom will be a fun experience.
Because here’s the real price of prom – experiencing a memorable night with friends regardless of cost: priceless
