The hair, the dress, the shoes, the tan, the jewelry. They all must be the best, absolutely perfect for the monumental moment of a high school student’s life, the moment that everyone will be talking about, the quintessential moment that will last decades: Prom. Originally held in the mid-1800’s for the wealthy and the elite, the dance has been a part of American culture for decades. Through the years, this elite mentality has lost its power, and teenagers of all social statuses have been able to attend the dance and enjoy it as it is meant to be enjoyed: as fun.
However, in recent years, this relatively relaxed and exciting atmosphere for Prom has dissipated. A recent survey by Visa showed that the average amount of money spent on prom is $1,078 per person. This amount of money can provide around 2 months of groceries for a family. Instead, this money is being spent on one night, one moment that is meant to be enjoyable, illustrating that the idea of having ‘fun’ comes at a high cost. The survey also showed that families making around $20,000-30,000-right above the poverty line-spend around 9% of their annual income on this dance. Visa additionally stated this year’s average is a $200 increase from last year’s, truly showing just how out of hand Prom spending is becoming. While this is only one night, it exposes a growing mentality amongst the American population, a mentality that extends to a variety of aspects of life.
This excessive consumption mirrors the growing inclination for Americans to emphasize the materialistic side of special events, including Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and even how a person is buried. This inclination reflects the idea of being bigger and better than others, an American ideal that is appearing to stretch into every aspect of life. An emphasis on looks is overpowering the simplicity of life. Materialism appears to be increasing as the years go on, especially with new social media sites that have become integrated into the younger generation’s lives, sites that encourage a person to present themselves in the most glamorous light possible.
Prom is this extreme because everyone wants to have the best, most original dress; everyone wants to look absolutely perfect and outdo each other, so much that they begin to forget the point of the night, which is to have fun. Prom has become more about what happens before the event than during the event, and people allow the socially accepted image of how a person is to look for Prom control their judgment, and thus cause excessive spending. We have been taught that in order to feel nice, you must look nice to others as well.
There is a social stigma that a person must look a certain way, even though it logically contrasts the events of the night. At Prom, people take pictures and go to a dance floor for hours only to become sweaty and tired; girls wear flashy shoes, only to cover them with their long dresses. It seems silly for people to buy exceedingly expensive outfits that drag on the floor or make for uncomfortable clothing and then participate in a high amount of physical activity. Additionally, much of the clothing purchased for the night is only worn once. Guys tend to rent Tuxedos, and girls buy dresses specifically made for Prom. The argument then comes that people “want to look nice” and “dress up for once” for the special event. Sure, there is nothing wrong with occasionally looking nice and dressing up, but it is possible to do both of these without burning your skin, or covering your face, or investing in an overly expensive dress that will only be worn once.
Rather, a person should go to Prom, and not spend too much time worrying about the material aspect of the dance, but just enjoy themselves. It is possible to buy a cheap dress, or at least one that could be reused in the future, and still look nice. It is possible to stop focusing on looking the best, and just attempt to look yourself. While it is difficult to fight the materialism that runs rampantly throughout our culture, we can make small changes that help discourage the social stigmas centered on it.