Students question if prom is worth the cost

Every year, juniors at West Essex High School spend months planning and hundreds of dollars for one special night. For any girls attending prom, the combined prices of a dress, nails, tanning costs, makeup, hair, shoes, the actual prom ticket, the prom bus, the hotel for the weekend, gas costs to drive back home, promposals, gym memberships and eyebrow waxing adds up.

“I think it’s ridiculous,” junior Mairead Bardho said. “I’m blowing all this money for just one night when I could be spending it on something better.”

The costs of prom continue to rise and students and their parents alike are fed up. One point that students make is they spend all that money for only one night—sometimes for only a few hours.

“We have to spend hundreds to basically take a few pictures,” junior Marisa DeFranza said. Some students skip the entire event, besides taking a few pictures, and head down the shore for the weekend, citing boredom as their reason for ditching the event.

A few students have other opinions on the rising costs of the evening and can overlook the prices.

“I can’t wait,” junior Ellie Decker said. “It will definitely be a night to remember.”

“I know it’s a lot but I think it’s definitely worth it,” junior Samantha Hiel said. “It’s prom.” While they understand it’s a lot of money, some West Essex students believe prom is a milestone that can’t be missed. However, there are still some who disagree with the expectations and costs of prom. Junior Denise Domerstad has decided not to attend at all.

“Prom is not worth the stress that girls experience for it, so I’m just not going,” Domerstad said.

Prom is definitely a controversial topic, but one thing can be agreed on: It’s expensive.