Proms can cause angst and conflict between family members – for example, between separated or divorced parents who argue about how much they should reasonably spend on prom night. For example, one interview respondent said he had invited more than 300 people to his wedding because he felt he’d missed out by rejecting prom attendance in his late teens. These events typically don’t require a partner and do away with many of the extravagances or rules of the traditional American prom.īut some research has suggested that people who resist the lure of prom night by choice ended up spending more lavishly on their weddings later in life. Resistance to prom has led to the creation of a “morp” (prom backwards) in the US – for those who want to mark the occasion less formally. Of course, not all those who can attend their prom do so. There have been limited reports of these kind of preventative measures so far in the UK. Parents often act as chaperones and sometimes there are lock-downs, where children are kept in school until 6am and engaged in a variety of activities so that their parents can come and collect them, knowing there will be no drink driving. In the US, great lengths are taken to prevent “misbehaviour” such as underage drinking. There can also be a darker side to school proms. Scottish prom attendees are more concerned with the glamour of the prom than their American counterparts, who are more interested in the heritage and traditions. In order to make sure that no two dresses are the same, girls employ strategies to avoid the faux pas, such as posting photos of dresses on social media before the event. As with a wedding, the key component for girls is the dress. While Scottish proms can feature this traditional dancing they are generally more like a wedding than an American prom. For example, Scottish attendees wear traditional dress such as kilts and engage in Scottish country dancing. Some students attending the prom and sometimes those on the committee want the kind of prom they have seen in American movies, while others want something that reflects their own and national identity. ![]() ![]() The committee will make decisions about their prom, often reflecting their own style but limiting the budget. The organising committee can include teachers but often is made up of the head boy or head girl as well as students volunteering to be part of the committee. If there is to be a prom king or queen at an event this will often be decided by the prom organising committee. This can be linked to charitable acts but can also be intangible, with the accolade often awarded to those recognised as consistently being good humoured or as having a positive effect on others. The prom king and queen, if there are any, are typically those who have contributed most to the school experience. Research by my colleague Pete Nuttall at the University of Bath and I conducted showed that high school proms in the UK tend to be a more egalitarian affair.
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