Prom: Is it worth it?

Prom: The ‘wedding’ for high schoolers. Buying the expensive gowns, getting pampered at the salon, hair, nails, make-up, spray tans… Prom Drama, also known as “Prama” invades the lives of senior and junior girls from about October until the big day that usually falls in May or June. For months, girls fret about finding the perfect dress, the perfect date, and the perfect price. For some, prom savings begin the year before to make the big purchases a little bit easier to swallow.

One major question is, how much is too much? For one night, what is a reasonable cost to spend in all?

For senior girls at Madison High, the average price of Prom is about $745. That price, however, includes the cost of dress, price of hair and makeup, shoes, jewelry, manicures/pedicures, tans, boutonnieres for their dates, the prom ticket, the transportation share, and the cost of the ever-(in)famous prom weekend.

Isn’t spending a possible hundred dollars on a dress a bit much? “No,” immediately replied a senior at MHS. “Well, I know it sounds like a lot of money, but since we do not have a junior prom, a bigger purchase is easier to make for your one and only prom,” she continued. “Also, in today’s generation, dresses come at a price, and I think everyone has braced themselves for that reality.”

Why is the Prom Ticket so expensive? This year at MHS a prom bid is an $80 purchase for all. For a couple, that’s $160 before any cosmetics. “This year we wanted to give the senior’s one of the best proms yet. In order to do that, we had to pay a large price. This year’s prom includes a gorgeous venue, a great DJ, and delicious food,” commented a member from this year’s Prom Committee. A senior chimed in, “If you are paying for two tickets, $160 is a big purchase, but if each of you buy your own, it makes it easier to do.”

Now for guys, it is surprising how much they spend as well. The average price of prom for Senior guys at MHS is $300. That includes their share of transportation, a tuxedo rental, shoe rental, corsage for their date, their ticket, and their share of prom weekend, usually ranging $100-$200.

What is Prom Weekend? Prom weekend begins the day following the event, where the seniors travel down the Jersey Shore for the weekend. Everyone stays at the infamous “Aztec” for two nights and enjoy time with their fellow classmates in a non-academic environment.

In the words of a senior girl from Madison, “Prom weekend is a great tradition at the high school that everyone looks forward to from their freshmen year. It’s a time to be with your classmates in a fun environment before we all go in different directions after graduation. It’s worth the money since we only make a purchase like this once, and it is one last chance to celebrate being a Dodger.”

Senior Prom is very important to the students of MHS and, as the only dance MHS, girls get excited to feel confident in a nice dress and have a fun night out before the end of the year, which for most is graduation. MDO asked three more seniors and one junior about their opinions about Prom, the hype around it, and what to wear.

The girls brought up different points when asked about what makes prom special. One of the girls mentioned that prom is a “rite of passage”. Most of the girls also brought up the point that it is a night to dress up and have fun. All of the girls agreed that having only a Senior Prom is better than having a Senior and a Junior Prom, with one of the girls explaining that they wouldn’t want to “put half the effort into two separate proms”.

The length of the dress did cause some debate among the girls. The girls were very divided, with one saying that she does not care and another saying that seniors should wear the long dress but can also choose a short dress. One of the seniors was very in favor of only seniors wearing a long dress, and the only junior of the group explained that everyone should be allowed to wear a long dress because short dresses tend to look like a “beauty pageant dress”. Nonetheless, a long prom dress is one of the only long dresses a girl will wear before their wedding.

Another thing on all of the students’ minds is how old their date may be. Most of the girls did not care about date age, saying that “if someone has a boyfriend or girlfriend that are older or younger they should be able to bring them no matter their age”. However, a few of the girls mentioned that if a date is above the drinking age, it could turn uncomfortable. One girl brought up the point that prom should only be for seniors because it may not be as fun for the underclassmen.

Prom can either be something that you love or hate. Being able to dress up can be as fun as you make it, no matter how much Prama there is. Overall, Prom is one of the last events that the seniors have together that can leave lasting memories for years to come.