Prom for The Preuss School took place on May 9th at the VASA venue in North Park. Prom is one of the more anticipated events students look forward to all year because proms bring students together, gives them an opportunity to take a break from school, and serves as an occasion that creates lasting memories. One downside, though, is how expensive it can get now, and how social media adds pressure to this creating an amazing prom experience for attendees.
To begin, one major problem with prom is how expensive it can become for students and families. When adding all the prices from tickets ($50+), outfits,($200+) transportation ($250+), pictures ($75+), nails ($50+ ), hair ($35+), and more, it can add up very quickly. This pressures a lot of students to think they need to spend a crazy amount of money just to not feel left out from the other students or feel undressed compared to everyone else there. When prom is coming to an arrival, it creates a stressful environment instead of an exciting one due to the cost of everything.
Another issue with prom is the pressure caused by social media apps. Social media apps like Tiktok, Instagram, and Snapchat make sharing prom experiences much easier and persuadeable, which may cause students to try to match expectations or “one up” others. This can lead to attendees not fully focusing on enjoying the night and replaces that optimism with pressure to make everything look perfect for online posts.
However, even with all mixed feelings, prom still has benefits and creates a memorable night. Prom gives students an opportunity to relax and spend time with friends which can allow them to enjoy one of their last high school events and reminisce about their best moments in an enjoyable environment, and it also brings students who do not usually engage with others together. This causes small moments like taking pictures or just dancing and messing around with friends to make the night feel special.
At the end of the day prom is still something most students will remember for a long time because of the memories it can create and the time students get to spend together. Even with all the pressure and cost it creates a wonderful experience for many students.
