For the purpose of this paper I interviewed someone my age that has not yet attended prom, another person who attended it a couple years ago, and lastly someone who attended a couple decades ago. To begin with person A, who still awaits their prom, I asked about their expectations. These were simple: “I don't really expect anything from prom either than it to be indoor, with my teachers and classmates, and to be served food.” These expectations seem to be a bit dry considering what a spectacular event prom is supposed to surmise to. To prepare herself for prom, Person A bought a dress and a necklace to wear. While I myself had never thought of prom this way, Person A hit our class discussion spot on: “I think prom is thought of traditionally as being a rite of passage, theoretically the first experience to dress up and feel like an adult in one's life. In this respect, prom can be significant.” To her the event is transformative, or at least for that one particular night. It is clear however that the event does not hold as much significance for Person A. She feels that society pressures a lot of people into going and convinces people that they are “missing out” if they are absent from the event. Because of this whole attitude people feel obliged to go, not because they are seeking a transformative experience. After prom Person A does not expect to feel any different, simply relaxed because it marks the end of the school year. When asked what her ideal prom would be, she replied that it would involve all of her friends from both in and outside of school, together with unlimited drinks and food. But hearing that I had to think, would that really be a prom, or just a party?
After hearing what to expect from prom, I spoke to Person B, who could speak of her experience at the actual event. Everyone at her school voted against having a prom king and queen, but did indulge themselves in renting limousines. She had expected a lot of drama, but it was practically nonexistent the event. Person B felt that her grade had formed an understanding by that point and was able to create some sort of unity. “It was unexpectedly free of a lot of insecurities that I thought there would be. Maybe because everyone showed up drunk? ha.” Person B admitted to her grade’s drinking before the prom, but it did not seem to have a negative impact at all on the prom, perhaps even a positive one. Prom was not transformative, but rather uniting for her. She did not feel particularly different afterwards, but her grade as a whole was able to develop a better sense of maturity. “It seemed like prom acted as a celebration of just getting through high school.” She believes that is the real purpose for prom, while people may go into it believing that it will be a transformative experience. Prom is however very necessary as it is important for the students to experience an almost entirely student run event. It helps mark the end of an era.
The last person I talked to reminisced on her prom many years ago, in a completely different era than now. Unlike the other two interviewees, Person C’s prom was a junior prom; senior prom was nonexistent. The night was extremely exciting because it was a big party with friends and if one was even luckier, they had a date. Nothing particularly special happened at the event, it went just as imagined. Her date however wore different brown plaid combinations, which disappointed her considering she had taken such care to find the perfect dress. Prom to her, like person A, was about being an adult. “It's just one of those coming of age things—it used to be the first sort of "adult" like thing you did in high school. The girls were supposed to act like young ladies and the boys were supposed to be polite young men, bringing corsages, escorting you to the dance.” While it is a “coming of age” event, Person C does not believe that it is necessary to attend.
While all coming from different perspectives, all three of the interviewees had similar reactions towards prom. The idea that it is a night to act adult came up in both Person A and C’s answers. This is a clear theme on prom night; people want to feel like they are finally growing up and are no longer immature high school students. Having a date is exciting because it is companionship, a said agreement that you will spend time together on that night. Person A however did feel the toll of society much more than the other two interviewees. She felt that people were pressured into attending for fear they might miss out on something. For Person C the event was so exciting that no one would want to miss out, they simply felt pressure from themselves. Person B did not mention feeling the need to attend, but that it was definitely a necessary event. Society clearly plays a role in urging people towards prom, because it is practice for adulthood. However it also displays only a specific view of adulthood, one in which one has a companion and dresses extremely nicely. People are mature and united, as seen in Person B’s grade, while classy, as described by Person C. Prom however does seem to be less significant in modern times. Person C went on about how exciting and exhilarating the experience was, while Person A, who is about to attend her prom, showed little excitement. Person B expressed that it seemed like it was going to be a drama filled event, when in turn it was actually much different. Being classy and sophisticated has much less of an appeal nowadays. With reality television and HipHop, there is no need to be classy to have a good time. Person B awaited the “reality television drama”, while Person A sees the event as just something to go to so that she does not miss out. What is “cool” has been redefined in modern times, going from classy to outrageous. Person A mentioned “unlimited drinks and food,” in her ideal prom, but does that really have anything to do with prom at all? It has become less about having the perfect date and dress, but competing to have the wildest time. However it still brings people together in creating this experience, forming an unnoticed maturity and compassion.
No comments:
Post a Comment