Over the past month, students scrambled to find the perfect prom outfit and plan the perfect night. Berkeley High School’s prom comes with endless expectations that can easily stress students out. With the cost of preparation for prom, including outfits, proposals, and transportation added to the already exorbitant cost of prom tickets, prom can quickly become a very unaffordable event. However, there is a simple solution: accept an imperfect prom.
For many students, prom means being expected to spend large amounts of money that they don’t necessarily have. Berkeley High School senior, Kendall Maddry, spoke about all the costs before the big night. “I have to get my hair done, my nails done, I have to get shoes, I have to get the corsage, I have to make sure I have the makeup, I have to get a spray tan. There’s a lot of things that make the checklist,” Maddry said.
Many students also worry about finding and affording the right dress. The norms surrounding prom dictate what kind of dress students will wear, and usually, this means very formal and long-length dresses which often have a high price tag. “The norm is that you wear a maxi dress. No one’s gonna show up with a cocktail dress or a skirt and top I think,” Maddry said.
Saskia Freedberg, a Berkeley High School senior, also spoke about the costs of prom and how her group of friends struggled to afford everything they wanted to complete the magical night.“People want to make it special and make it fun and all my friends were gonna rent a car together and split the cost, but then it was really expensive,” Freedburg said. It’s especially hard to opt out of some of the costs of prom, as doing so would sacrifice time with friends. “All my friends are getting a hotel room together or near each other. I wasn’t not going to do that, so I paid 60 bucks. I wouldn’t say it’s pressure, but like I want to be included in things,” Freedberg added.
Prom comes with many unaffordable expectations. Many students feel the need to get the most perfect dress, rent a car with friends, and even rent a hotel room. Maybe it’s time to take a step back and accept that prom doesn’t have to be perfect, as once this is accepted, there are many ways to make prom more affordable. For example, students can thrift dresses or receive free ones from programs like the San Fransisco Princess Project. Renting a limo isn’t always possible, and there should be absolutely no shame in driving to prom or even hopping on public transportation.
It is important to keep prom as fun as it can be while also removing some of the pressures it comes with. At the end of the day, prom is really about enjoying yourself with friends or your significant other, regardless of whether you attend in blue jeans or a ball gown.