Prom pressures leave students feeling less than heavenly

Prom season has begun for high schools across the country. This big night is an event that is supposed to be one of ‘the best moments of high school,’ when in reality, it causes stress for weeks. The expectations of prom fall heavier on female students who are expected to spend much more than the males attending. 

With hair, shoes, dresses and any other accessories they want to wear, the price racks up. Prom dresses can be extremely expensive, some even being upwards of $500, and the price gets even higher when adding on hair and the rest of the ensemble. Girls spend hours searching for the ‘perfect’ prom dress in order to impress others and take millions of photos to post on social media. The societal pressures of prom are embedded into the minds of students from a very early age, with prom being one of the culminating nights of high school. 

Another stressor for both girls and guys is the idea of a ‘promposal’, an extravagant and very public display of who’s going with who. The pressure of being asked forces people to be more inclined to say yes, since they don’t want to publicly reject someone they care about. Promposals can easily embarrass either the person asking or the person being asked. Movies about prom and high school tend to hyperbolize the event, making it seem like the best night of high school when, in reality, it could be quite mediocre for those who aren’t the most popular. Prom court is a popularity contest disguised as a tradition of prom, leaving those in the running bitter knowing that losing simply means they aren’t as well liked as the winners. 

With prom being canceled last year and the year before, many seniors are experiencing an official prom for the first time. With all the hype surrounding prom, expectations are high, much like the ticket prices. $25 per ticket is a high price to pay, especially if two tickets are being bought for one couple. $50 per couple makes prom much more expensive by taking money from the teens and putting it back into the school. Prom could also be seen as a cash grab for formal attire businesses who charge exponentially high prices for outfits that are worn for pictures and one night for a few hours. 

Many students look forward to prom from their first homecoming, after getting the first taste of school mandated ‘dancing,’ which is essentially jumping to music that was popular years ago. Both homecoming and prom are nights that aren’t fun for the festivities; friends make the night what it is. Essentially, a group hangout with those friends would be just as fun,  if not more, with less blaring music and people yelling. 

The expectation to go out to dinner before prom also overwhelms local restaurants, causing extreme wait times and stress to the employees. This also adds to the expenses of prom. Dinner, outfit, shoes, accessories, and more all add up to an extremely expensive night that could be achieved for much less if the demand wasn’t so high. The hype surrounding prom jacks up the prices of anything that could be even remotely associated with prom, leaving many scrambling to find any components to complete their look. All in all, prom is an overrated three hour event that causes hoarse voices, sore feet, and desolate bank accounts. “A Night on Cloud 9” may turn out to be just a night under the weather. 

By Maggie Phillips

Oshkosh West Index Volume 118 Issue VII

April 25th, 2022