by Maryn Carlson

Prom: the focus of so much attention as the months of May and June approach, the apex of our suburban frivolity, and the catalyst of social calamity. Why do we students subject ourselves to the reign of this inane and corrosive social construct? 
After the cost of the tickets, the limo, the dress, nails, hair, etc., many girls end up spending over $500, creating an utterly contrived and superfluous experience. Prom is an enormous expense and thus indicative of the excesses of our suburban lifestyle. 
Furthermore, prom upholds the degrading conventions of society that have suppressed women throughout history. Girls concern themselves with the most vain of exploits, the quest for external beauty, and consequently surrender to the manipulations of an increasingly superficial society. On prom night, one can hardly recognize fellow students masked in mounds of makeup and steeped in an artificial orange glow. 
For the most part, guys ask girls, once again inherently enforcing the idea of the dominant and superior male so native to our society and world. Guys wear suits while often girls wear revealing dresses and too high shoes. In essence, prom reduces women to archaic symbols of femininity and thus objectifies them. 
Many prom-goers strive to be photographed as much as possible, hoping to capture the product of their vain exploits on film in anticipation of the subsequent Facebook photo frenzy. Pre-prom exists almost solely to satisfy this narcissistic desire; one emerges blinded by the perpetual flash of eager parents’ cameras. 
“You look so beautiful” and “I love your dress” echo throughout the night, stripped of all significance as a result of their indiscriminate use. These rampant superficial compliments only reflect the egotistical and unsavory nature of the event. 
All moral implications aside, prom poses a significant health risk. Girls spend hours immersed in the toxic fumes of the nail salon after frequenting the tanning booth and consciously increasing their risk of cancer. 
In addition, prom creates far too much angst within the student body. Girls and guys alike fret about not having a date, not having a limo etc., but to what end? Prom, as much as the media glorifies it, is not such an amazing and uplifting experience. The music is most often horrible, the food bad, and the dancing at one moment enjoyable and the next monotonous.
Why should we succumb to the influence of the media and attempt to recreate the same experience as depicted in so many movies, shows etc? Might we attempt to redefine ourselves as a class distinct from the existing social norms and discover a new manner to express the aura of success and jubilation experienced at the culmination of junior and senior years of high school?