Essay Preview: Prom
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Teenagers today are spending more and more money on the extravagance of prom. The article by Jeffery Shaffer claims that high school proms have become an “exercise in the celebration of extravagance and indulgence.” In this article negative ideas and, inappropriate messages are conveyed to teens. Many of the ideas proposed in this article are eccentric, turning school tradition into competition of unlimited spending.
Although the price for prom according to Shaffer has reached “more than $1,200 per couple” and assumes “its the same or higher”, the price for prom in present years is beginning to near $2,000 a couple. Even with most high school students believing that it is worth it because of the great time they will have and the memories. From personal experience this year my friends as well as I are spending almost $700 on the entire prom event, for just our selfs. This includes everything from dress, shoes, to limo and post prom events. The average high school student does receive financial help from their parent, opposed to in 1925-26 when “girls were not allowed to borrow money from the office”. Showing the negative side of the expense for prom to teens could discourage them from going and have a great last high school experience. Causing them to later regret in life, such as three of my best friends who decided not to go to their prom last year but instead go to Six Flags. By reading this article teens might decide not to go to their prom thinking they wont regret it, when most of them will after sitting home while everyone is out.
Many people such as Jeffery as well as myself that have “never been very interested in the party scene” can still have a great time at something that would be filled with such great memories. If teens read something like this they might say to themselves ÐI fit into that category and intern miss out on a fun filled night. Prom to most high school students is just an all night event of hanging out with friends and dancing, with an expensive price tag. If teens that feel they fit into a category such as this they should look at it as a night of just hanging out with friends. If they do that such as I did they wont miss out on their last high school experience, and wont have any regrets.
The “warning about the girls off-campus life: ÐMothers are urgedÐnot to allow them to go unattended to matinees, to restaurants, etc.” has much changed since the 1920s. Parents of current high school students have more trust in their kids now; most