It’s nearing that time of year again when thousands of school leavers will be dressing up in their finest and going to the end of year school prom.
With parents spending hundreds on which, at the end of the day is essentially a dress, teenagers are dolling up for one big party.
As a report in one newspaper today reveals that today’s teenage girls are having spray tans, and some spending up to £500 on a dress, it seems one ridiculous step too far for me.
What a load of pressure and fuss over nothing. Yes, it’s lovely to have a party, and who doesn’t want to dress up and feel special on occasion?! It’s going a bit overboard, though.
Long gone, it seems are the days of looking forward to the end of school leavers disco, where it was a case of just enjoying being with your friends, and having a good time.
Now it’s a case of inviting dates along to the prom, and as a painfully shy teenager I would have rather poked at my own eyeballs with a pair of rusty spoons than have to worry about who to ask to the prom, or indeed if anyone would ask me.
Why the pressure and competition as to who can have the ‘biggest and best’ dress, or all the hiring of limousines to take you there?
They’ll be hiring helicopters next and parachuting onto the school field in order to get one up on their peers.
Nope, it’s all a load of overpriced idiocy.
Surely the most important thing is having a great time with your mates and not who can spend the most and show off.
Bring back the strobe lights and disco balls in the school hall, some good music and the refreshment table of Panda Pops and Disco crisps in the corner….
Mine has hers on Tuesday- dress and shoes off eBay for a grand total of £34, she isn’t bothered about a limo! But I still think its daft- bring on the Panda Pops! X
That sounds like a much more sensible approach!
Yet another idea borrowed from america x
Well they can have it back!
I quite agree, Wendy, this is another Americanism we can well do without. Let’s just hope we don’t go all the way and have students voting for the Prom King and Prom Queen as well, to really pile the pressure on our teens. In fact, at a Year 6 disco at a primary school where I volunteered the children were asked to vote for a disco prince and princess. I had to agree with the teacher who thought it was a terrible idea.
Actually, there is one aspect of American school leaving culture I would like to see over here and that is the Year Book. It would be great if I had a book with photos of all the people I knew at school in it, but that doesn’t seem to be showing any signs of crossing the Pond.
Ah, I quite like the idea of a Yearbook, that’d be a nice reminder of all the people at school, with names and faces etc. A more permanent reminder than the signing of school shirts that fades over the years!
As for Prom King and Queen/Disco Prince and Princess though ?! Ridiculous. *shudders*
I personally do not get it either! We do we have to do things like the Americans do? Prom nights, let’s put the fun back into the End of school! Just let them have fun without such ridiculous pressure!
The old saying is still true: Americans oversexed, overplayed, over her!
Let’s start a campaign to send all the stupid American traditions that are coming into our culture back to where they came from!
Pressure is definitely more prominent than fun in the prom scenario, and that’s surely the wrong way round. Concentrating on having a great time should be the most important.
I’ll be first in line to try and chuck the prom tradition back over the ‘Pond!’
We had something similar when I left school, although we called it a ball. School booked a venue off-site and we all wore extra-fancy dresses, some wore long ball-gown types and most people partnered with a boy, and this was 1995!
I must have just missed out on all the over top stuff then, (thankfully!) as I left in 1993 and it was just a great disco in the school hall!
I really hate the fact that the UK is slowly becoming more and more Americanised (is that a word?!) and that we feel bullied/cajoled into going along with the whole hype and nonsense. Perhaps us parents should unite and start putting our foots down! It’s even creeping into Primarly School Yr 6 leaving parties now with some turning up in a limo – just ridiculous!
Parents should definitely get together and take a stand! Bet there’s lots out there who secretly think the whole thing is ridiculous.
As for primary school? I really hope ours doesn’t have any fancy ideas for when it’s time for the nearly 9 year old to leave!
My boy is in year 6. Apparently most if the kids in his year are having a limousine to take them to school on the last day. Words fail me. Luckily, we’ve brought him up in such a way that he doesn’t want one.
Your boy sounds like a very sensible young man!
I love Panda Pops.
I hated the run up to my prom. There was so much bitching and competition between the popular girls and it made me feel fairly inadequate as my parents had the same view- that it was a waste of money.
My friend and I decided to boycott the whole posh limo thing- we had a word with Cadburys advertising outside my local ASDA and arrived in a tow along Creme Egg!
Ha, that sounds great!
Your comment about the bitchy and popular girls shows why it’s just such a bad idea – it’s bound to just heap pressure onto those who aren’t in any cliques, or as you say, make some feel inadequate.
SO glad I missed out on it all, I would have absolutely hated it!
I got my dress cheap from TK Maxx. Had a limo as a Suprise from my friends mum. We didn’t really do dates, just went as friends. Arranged it all ourselves with no help from the school as it is something that we wanted to do and they refused to let us.