Kenneth's+Editorial

Prom Problems  For decades, prom has been prominent in high schools all over America. However, the nature of this event has always been changing. Currently, prom is essentially a pre-graduation for high school seniors. While the real graduation is exciting, it is primarily held for the parents to recognize their children's hard work over the years. On the other hand, prom is just for the students to enjoy. It is held towards the end of the school year and represents the closure of the high school chapter of their lives as teenagers as they progress towards adulthood. Traditionally, the men pay for all the expenses involved in prom aside from the dress. From pictures to flowers to limousines, the boys gather all their financial resources for that one special night. While the girls also receive great social pressures to dress up like a princess and have a dream-like experience, their responsibilities fall short of what boys are expected to do. Therefore, prom has begun to creates greater pressures for male students going through a critical period of their lives.  While the roles of men have traditionally been that of the protector and provider, women have continually been taking steps towards equality between genders. These steps have taken women to new heights as more of them become doctors, lawyers, and entrepreneurs. But when it comes to prom, some girls feel that it continues to be the duty of the boys to pay. Some claim their dresses are so expensive that they should be exempt from paying. This creates a huge financial burden for the boys as prom has almost become like an industry. Due to social pressures, simply driving to prom is no longer classy enough. As a result, teenagers begin to rent limousines for themselves and their dates. Additionally, the entire event must be properly documented, so students take various professional pictures while at prom. These pictures are costly as well, and may not even turn out well. Therefore, the truly enthusiastic prom goers practice their pose beforehand. Along with limousines and pictures, boys also need to buy girls a bouquet that will be used for about five minutes during the picture before being left on the table for the rest of the event. After prom, the bouquet lasts only for a few days before it is thrown away. Why such a poor investment is made by thousands of students every year is incomprehensible.  While a few girls do aid in the distressing process of finding a date, most boys are left to fend for themselves during this time. As Amy Best says in her book // Prom Night //, during prom season, "boys are the decision makers" are bear the responsibility of making sure prom goes well. Once prom season comes around, the tension of who is going to ask who suddenly fills the air as everyone has prom on their mind. The lucky couples who have been dating long before prom escape these worries, while their friends ponder over who they can bring to prom. As proms have been going on for years, the creative, romantic ways a boy can invite a girl have quickly been dwindling. Along with how to ask their date, boys also need to worry about who to ask. Some of the primary concerns about who to ask involve looking for someone who is good looking, fun to be around, and easy to talk to. As prom has become such a huge deal, students generally hope to go with someone special to truly make the experience dream-like.  This critical decision also needs to be made during a very inconvenient period. Prom season also happens to be the period preceding exams and around the time seniors need to decide on which college they will be attending next year. With so many things going on, students hardly have time to rest, let alone stress over what to do about prom.  As society seems to demand that boys pay for all expenses related to prom for the sake of their female partner, boys receive a large financial burden. To pay for the "ideal prom," boys must pay for a limousine, pictures, a suit, a bouquet, and possibly an after party. The girls on the other hand are just expected to dress up and have a good time. While girls do have to worry about making sure prom goes smoothly, boys have the greater burden of finding the perfect date and convincing her that he is the perfect date as well. Because of the complexities involved in properly inviting a girl to prom, boys become stressed as they balance this process with imminent exams and deciding which college they should attend. Thus, boys are forced to go through a great deal of trouble in hopes of creating one perfect night.  Work Cited Best, Amy L. //Prom Night: Youth, Schools, and Popular Culture//. New York: Routledge, 2000. Print.