by Leah Peloff ‘18

Senior year brings many experiences that students have anticipated their entire lives. They build up these events, notably prom, and begin to think that this will be a night they will remember forever; it must be perfect. This Cinderella fantasy of how prom should be drives focus away from a fun, end-of-high-school dance and towards a superficial, drama-filled night that many seniors actually dread.

The process starts months in advance with looking for the perfect dress. Girls who will be attending prom create a Facebook group to show everyone their dress and make sure no one gets the same one. A good idea, in theory; however, it often leads to cattiness and bullying with girls making fun of each other, or confronting someone about a dress that may be too similar to theirs. In addition, there is added pressure on getting a date. It once again becomes a competition and makes some people feel that they must have one in order not to be judged by their peers. Boys feel the stress of prom too, by having to create the most elaborate, original promposal. Between having the best dress, date, promposal, and more, prom has become less about pure fun and more about competing for perfection.