We’ve seen it in our favorite childhood movies and have heard countless upperclassmen reminisce about it in the hallway for years; prom is one night that has been idealized for as long as most teens can remember. As a pre-teen, we all remember watching “High School Musical” and hearing Troy and Gabriella sing and dance about “The Night of Nights.” They anxiously awaited the prom and stressed about creating the perfect, unforgettable night.
As prom approaches, many students turn what should have been a fun night into a major source of stress. This unjustified pressure ruins what should be an exciting evening. By the time the date rolls around, the conversations surrounding prom have been exhausted, and it becomes more of a stress-inducing topic rather than the most anticipated night of the year.
One contributor to prom night stress is how early people start making their plans for the weekend. While the eagerness is understandable, it only ends up causing panic for no reason when people “scramble” to find a date, dress and shoes as early as December, despite the fact prom is still months away. Many students feel the need to make prom a flawless night and want to be overly prepared because of the pressure that builds up.
This premature preparation also encourages a competitive nature out of high schoolers, specifically girls. It feels like everyone needs to have the most special dress, date, promposal and more. Rather than viewing the dance as a way for the grade to get closer, everyone competes for who can have the best, most Instagram-worthy night. This defeats the intended purpose of prom and makes the whole experience way more stressful. High schoolers need to remember that prom is just a fun night, nothing more and nothing less. Of course, it is an important event that teens can look forward to after spending so much time and money preparing. But prom will not and should not be the best night of our lives.
We have so much more to look forward to as we grow up. Whether it be graduations, weddings or job interviews, other important life events will eventually overshadow prom. The night will remain a fond memory for us to look back on and something that stands out in our high school experience, but no night is worth the amount of stress so many pour into it.
