School dances have long been a staple in the overall high school experience; whether it’s going out to town with some friends or hitting the dance floor all night, it seemed that school dances were some of the greatest events of one’s adolescent life. However, as time goes by, many have noticed a sharp decline in both attendance and energy at many of the most important nights of people’s lives. What was once a lively, thrilling experience has been formed into a night of eye rolls and dull dance floors. Could it be that prom is a dying art form? Is there a solution? There’s only one way to find out: let’s investigate.

Prom’s History:

Prom originated in the 19th century as a debutante-style ball for university students in the northeast, providing a party for their “introduction to society”. However, prom eventually trickled it’s way down into high school, eventually becoming the prom we now know and love: a celebration for concluding high school and transitioning into adulthood.

Modern Traditions

In today’s traditions, no other aspect of prom gets as much recognition as one’s attire: whether its buying an extravagant dress or a dapper suit, prom is known for it’s formal wear. However, this tradition is relatively new, only beginning in the 1950’s with the United States’ post-war prosperity. Along with these lavish outfits, however, comes a repulsing price tag. As a result, the overall cost for prom increased dramatically, creating the base for the inevitable decline in attendance that we see today.

Prom’s Decline:

Nowadays, the effects of past traditions caught up, leading to the many disincentives that we see today:

The Cost

One cannot list off the many issues associated with prom without mentioning the cost of attendance. While the lavish dresses and red carpet-like atmosphere creates an unmatched allure, these factors can also create an unmatched price, often costing families well over $1,000 for the festivities and clothing alone. In fact, the cost of prom has risen to such great heights that the term “prom-flation” has been coined as a way to describe the exponentially rising prices associated with attending prom. As a result, many high schoolers opt to skip prom as a way to save money, leading to a decrease in attendance and lower energy overall.

Changing Social Habits

Along with high costs, many students find prom to be a burden due to changing social habits that have evolved over the last few years. In an era of technological advancement, high schoolers have a myriad ways of contacting each other, making social gatherings and nights out as easy as sending a text. With such freedom to “chill” with one another, an adult led (and supervised) formal gathering is much less appealing than a student run (and unsupervised) hangout.

The Solution:

Now, after addressing all of the issues surrounding prom, one question looms in everyone’s mind: how do we fix prom?

Budget Early

With prices increasing exponentially and prom-flation running rampant, now is as important of a time than to start budgeting early for prom’s high attendance costs. Since changing traditions is impossible, focus on making the tradition feasible by spending money wisely and allow yourself to have a night of lavishness without breaking the bank

Only Pay for the Necessities

With prom’s extravagance being deeply entrenched in it’s traditions, many individuals play into the lavish themes, leading some to spend money blindly on expensive desires (i.e. limousines and grand photo spots). Instead, focus on the cost of prom without these extra luxuries (and just carpool in someone else’s limo)

Prom!

If you don’t believe us, test our hypothesis at BT’s prom…

https://www.brownell.edu/community/prom