Proms

[Tez3]

Okay, this is probably old hat for you guys but I was fascinated last night watching a documentary on proms! It centred on Chamblee High School in Atlanta following some of the students on the lead up to their prom. It was a serious programme, there were the issues of same sex relationships and mixed race relationships, I just found the whole thing interesting but I ended up with questions afterwards! We don't have anything like this though some schools will have a dance at the end of term but nothing with the same significance of a Prom! It seems that the Prom is very important if this programme plus the teen movies and stories we get are anything to go by?
What amazed me was that the school got prisoners in from the local prison to talk to the teenagers before the night about the dangers of alcohol and driving under the influence, also that there were chaperones on the actual night! Am I right in thinking that these are 17/18 years olds? Do all schools have proms or is it just the more middle class schools! The amount of money spent on dresses, evening suits for the lads and cars seemed huge!
The lady who made the film talked of her prom 20 years ago so I'm thinking it's a very big night?

 

[bydand]

I have never been in a school or even heard of a school that DIDN'T have a prom. That is taking into consideration that I went to schools in several portions of Michigan and Texas. Now we live in Maine and the prom is big here as well. Sure some schools have the money to go all out and make it nothing short of a Hollywood type production, but even the small lower socio-economic schools I have gone to do as much as they can. Big deal? Depends who you ask. For me, nope, I could have cared less about renting a tux, limo, and all the other crapola associated with going to a prom, instead I went camping and had a better time in my opinion. Some schools have 8th grade proms as well as a Senior prom which would put them down to the 13 and 14 year-old crowd. Most Senior proms include the Junior and Senior class, which would make it 16-18 year-old kids.

 

[Jade Tigress]

I don't get Proms. Never went to any of mine, had no desire to. Truly, the amount of $$ spent on Proms is ridiculous. I think they started as school dances for upper classman and evolved into the craziness it is now. Middle Schools don't have *Proms*, just school dances. High school is for Proms. The seriousness with which it's taken is laughable IMO.

I truly, truly don't get it. But then again, I've always been the tomboy type. I like to look girlie, but I don't like typical girlie activities. I like to paint my nails, wear make-up and high heels. But I'd also much rather hang out with the guys, have a beer, joke around, throw darts, play poker, shoot pool and listen to loud music, than go to a scrapbooking party, tea party, luncheon, whatever, anyday.

Proms...ack.

 

[Tez3]

It did seem to a big rite of passage for these students. Not a bad idea for saying goodbye to your school days and hello to adulthood! One girl said that the prom dress is the second most important dress in a girls life! The thing I did laugh at though was the lads taking so long to get ready! They spent as much time as the girls lol!

 

[Cirdan]

We don`t have proms in Norway. What we do have is a period lasting several weeks where the last year students will wear matching overalls, party, drink a lot, play pranks and create general havoc. These students are called "Russ". Pretty insane but still preferable to the horror of a prom methinks.

 

[hemi]

Well back in the day Proms were to me anyway more for the kids that were in that click. My friends and I were not in “That Click” so we didn’t attend either of our proms.


And with the crazy amount of money people spend on these things with limos and hotel rooms and tuxes. I had way more fun throwing a pasture kegger party anyway and spent a lot less $$$

No I don’t condone underage drinking but lets be real here.

 

[Jade Tigress]

I had way more fun throwing a pasture kegger party anyway and spent a lot less $$$

No I don’t condone underage drinking but lets be real here.

Exactly.

 

[Tez3]

The underage drinking thing seemed to be a bit absurd.They said the legal age for drinking in Atlanta was 21 but there was a young man called Jaguar who on his 18th birthday the day before the prom joined the Air Force. It seems strange that he can serve his country but not drink alcohol! We have 18 as the standard legal drinking age which is also the age for voting and going on active service in the forces ( you can join the army before you are 18 but won't go anywhere until you are 18)
I was never one of the 'pretty' girls at school and my parents didn't have loads of money so I think a prom might have been a nightmare for me.

 

[Phoenix44]

Best I can tell, most high schools have proms. Underage drinking is a problem, but I doubt it would be any less of a problem if they just had a "party" instead of a "prom."