HW 57 - Initial Thoughts on Prom

Through out the past units, i have gone in with an open mind, i believed that there was definitely a "weird" side to the mass production of food and health care (both in birth and in death). But the thing about prom, is that even though some people may not want to go for whatever reason, it is still something that we will always view as necessary. Prom is supposed to happen once in your life, it is a chance for everyone to be subjected to the same hardships and rewards.

Even if you go by yourself, you dress up, you go to a big ballroom and celebrate what is supposed to be the end of the first major chapter in your life with all of the people who were there for that chapter. The idea of prom is that there isn't supposed to be anything wrong with it. It isn't supposed to be something that has a weird side because it is something that is widely accepted in our culture, as both necessary and some might say mandatory. It is more then just a parade of expensive dresses and suits. It is young adults who get to live out their "fantasy" of the biggest formal gathering they will attend that is about them, before their wedding.

I don't believe that there is much wrong with prom, as evil or weird as it may be, i don't think that those things about it can be changed because unlike the food or hospitals or funeral homes, this isn't an industry. I don't believe there is any business that caters specifically to proms because it a small part of a bigger industry (party planning). But i am here to learn.

• What are the most controversial aspects of prom and what makes them like that?
• What are foreign alternatives to prom if they do not celebrate it like we do?
• How does the perceived importance of prom differ between genders?
• How do age groups that aren't having a prom or have had one, view it? Is there a significant difference between age groups?