Used with permission by Brooklyn Shafer, Lora Jost, Mariel Nall, Tammy Smith, Barbara Shappie, Adeleigh Karoutchi, Val Fightmaster, Shots by Solo, Parker Beidleman, Makan Sacko, Chad Leslie, Caroline Burns, Sophie Hammons, and Angela Britton.
Students show off their prom 2022 looks. The deliberation of choosing a prom outfit often starts months before the dance. Popular places to purchase a prom dress include Lulu’s, Dillards, David’s Bridal, Nordstrom, and Macy’s.
A night to remember
In America, prom is thought to be the best night of a young adult’s life. The big poofy dress, the promposal, the limousine, the dinner reservations, the corsage, the boutonniere: all a quintessential part of the prom experience, but prom traditions didn’t start out this way.
Prom, short for promenade, was originally a ball thrown for graduating college students in the late 1800s. The dance was a symbol of wealth meant to promote social etiquette and introduce young women to eligible men.
By the 1920s, prom became a celebration for high school students.
The present-day version of prom has its roots in the 1950s when the postwar market was booming and consumers were spending more than ever. This is when dates, fancy clothing, and voting for “prom queen and king” became popular in prom culture.
These celebrations, however, were mostly for the wealthy and were racially segregated. It wasn’t until after the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 that proms became integrated.
Still, proms didn’t become inclusive right away. In 1994, a Mississippi school district canceled their prom when they received word that a female student wanted to bring her girlfriend to the prom. At Charleston High School in Mississippi, when black students were not invited to their prom, their parents organized their own prom.
By the mid-80s, prom became mainstream and featured in many teen movies. As shown in movies like “10 Things I Hate About You,” “Mean Girls,” and “She’s All That,” prom continues to be a turning point in young adult movies.
What was originally a gathering in a high school gym where students drank tea, socialized, and avoided the watchful eyes of chaperones, has become a symbol of accomplishment and finality for high school seniors.
One aspect of prom has stayed constant throughout the past 200 years: it brings people together.
“One of the things that we lack as a society is universal rituals, and ways that we make meaning of certain stages of our lives,” Candace Chen, Ph.D., said.
Chen, who received her Ph.D. in history at UC Berkeley, dedicated her dissertation research to analyzing the history of high school prom.
“There are a lot of different cultural rituals, but few that are shared by all high schoolers the way prom is,” Chen said.
This year, prom will be held on April 22 at the Newport Aquarium from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. for juniors and seniors.
Tickets for the “under the sea” themed dance will be for sale for $60 on April 1. Tickets will give students access to the entire aquarium, including fish petting and tanks full of sea life.
Many students are excited to celebrate the end of the school year at prom, including Naomi Mazander, ‘24.
“I feel like the purpose of prom is celebrating the seniors for completing six years at this really tough school,” Mazander said. “It’s about celebrating the idea that high school is almost over.”