By Anna Fitzgerald, Staff Writer
Prom has a lot of hype surrounding it, but does it really deserve all of the excitement? Most of the time for students, the most meaningful part of the whole night happens before and after prom – the pictures and the after-party.
The actual event known as prom usually takes place at the Millennium Center or another fancy location around Winston-Salem and is often described using words such as “awkward” and “boring.” Many students say they just stay for about 15 minutes because it is the “appropriate” thing to do. Some dancing occurs, but it is usually just a few students because everyone else is conversing with one another.
“It was definitely worth it to be able to go with my special someone and get a night to feel like a princess, but the actual prom part wasn’t that great. I was more excited for the pictures and after-party,” junior Lauryn Miller said of her past prom experience.
The exciting part about prom for many students begins beforehand, with the pictures. After girls spend weeks searching for the perfect dress and a whole day getting ready, they just want to get their picture taken at cool spots around town. The day after prom (or possibly the night of), Instagram, Facebook and Twitter feeds are filled with prom pictures. Girls want to show off their dress and hair, while guys want to show off their date.
The next part of the evening that most students look forward to is the after-party. Hosted in a variety of places, such as lake houses or mountain houses, kids go from prom to a night of “raging” with their friends. Sometimes, more pictures are taken during this part of the night, although more often than not they end up blurry for various reasons.
“While the actual prom part was only OK, I had more fun hanging out with my friends afterward,” junior Andrew Brodeur said.
Another thing that should be noted is the amount of money that goes into prom. Tickets cost at least $25 apiece. Then a dress or tuxedo has to be purchased/rented. Then dinner has to be bought (or made). In some cases, the dresses themselves are $250, and most times they are only worn that night and never seen again. If you think about it, is it really worth it to spend so much money to go to a 15-minute, awkward gathering downtown?
No, because no one really does anything at prom anyway. It is just an excuse to take pictures and party afterwards.
Even though I have expressed my opinion about prom being not worth it, I did attend Forsyth Country Day School’s prom on April 12 with one of my friends who goes to school there. They had their prom at the Dash stadium with a masquerade theme. While dressing up, taking pictures and riding in a limo was a lot of fun, the actual prom part was kind of dull. The exciting part was the fireworks that went off at the end of the night.
While I am not trying to rain on anyone’s parade who is super excited for the RJR prom on May 10, nothing is gained from attending prom and spending hundreds of dollars on one night. Some adults may say prom is a great night, but it rarely has had a life-changing affect on someone.