The sparkle, the dancing, the romance: these are all factors that contribute to an unforgettable night at prom. What this glamorous surface hides, however, are the laborious preparations undergone by attendees of the dance to make their night feel effortlessly special. So, with another successful junior prom under our belts, and with anticipation starting to bubble for this year’s senior ball, we will take a deep dive into the modern trends, traditions, and preparations students complete to show up in style.
Prom preparations commonly start weeks in advance, which helps to enhance many students’ prom experiences. Students may spend days searching for the perfect outfit.
For the girls, the dress they choose is what may make or break this special night. According to a poll conducted by The Stampede, 77% of junior girls have resorted to buying prom dresses online, while only 23% still buy dresses in person. Technology has certainly made shopping for prom much more convenient. The endless dress options found online are enticing and favorable compared to the smaller selections on display at local shopping malls. Even just scrolling through social media during prom season, it’s easy to stumble across pretty dresses and accessories for sale. When considering these favorable factors of online dress shopping, the growth in the popularity of online purchases makes sense. Junior Alexa Leahey explained how she found the perfect dress by browsing social media.
“I went on TikTok, searched up ‘prom,’ scrolled through all the prom videos, found a girl with [a dress I loved], [looked] through the comments, found a comment mentioning where it was from, then searched the dress up,” Leahey said.
When it comes to the boys, preparations seem to be less stressful. Junior Shivam Saxena anticipated that getting ready for prom would only take him 45 minutes, while his girlfriend, Ella Hamilton, estimated she would need three hours of prep time. But with the time they save on worrying about getting ready, many boys will use their efforts to craft the perfect “promposal” to ask their date out instead.
The thrilling moment of a “promposal” consists of lighthearted and sweet gestures from a guy or girl when they ask their potential date to the dance. This trend originated in the early 2000s and is so timeless that it has not yet taken on a more modernized style. Some “promposals” are extravagant and precisely thought out, while others may be simpler or more casual. Regardless, the moment of a unique “promposal” is memorable and sure to bring smiles to the lucky recipient and onlookers alike.
“I made a little poster [for Ella’s ‘promposal’],” Saxena said. “I got the inspiration from her friends, who mentioned the idea of ‘promposing’ with a [Tangled themed] poster.” He also commented on the fact that planning this “promposal” in its entirety took about a week. “Promposing” definitely requires a time commitment on the asker’s part, but is always worth it if they say yes!
Not all students are planning on taking a date though, and going with friends to prom has been much more normalized in recent years. Many students enjoy getting ready together hours before leaving for the dance. Additionally, Juniors Chloe Phelps and Ema Lisinac have created a new take on classic corsage gifting, where a corsage is traditionally given to a girl from her date. Instead, they plan on getting matching white corsages to symbolize their close friendship.
“I’m buying her one, she’s buying me one,” Phelps said. In doing so, this duo is breaking tradition and is helping bring a new meaning to prom.
Similarly to previous years, this year’s prom will take place at the Oakland Scottish Rite Center. To get to the venue, many students plan to utilize a party bus or limo. Nowadays, it’s most common that students will evenly split the costs of transportation to the prom venue, but it wasn’t always this way in the past. Just a few decades ago, it was the norm for guys to pay for their dates’ limo or party bus and their prom ticket. The 30 minute ride in itself is part of the fun in making prom worthwhile.
“I am excited because we are taking a party bus and I’ve never [been] in one before,” Leahey said. She stated that taking a party bus will certainly be a major highlight of her night.
Despite modern takes on some classic traditions, it’s safe to say that the formality of this occasion hasn’t disappeared over the years. Students can’t wait to indulge in an elegant night of dancing and make some lasting memories!
