All this prom dressing - is it a bit frumpy?

[NonnoMum]

This isn't a general 'prom' rant - yes, we might have had an end of year school disco, or a barbq and a quick snog, and I don't mind all the associated transport, spa day, photos etc etc, but I can't help thinking that loads of the photos I see of gorgeous young things in stroppy, frou frou dresses with elaborate Catherine Zeta Jones up-dos, makes quite a few of them look, well, er... frumpy...

[AndNoneForGretchenWieners]

The two girls that DS went to prom with looked lovely - both wore alternative style dresses (both goth masterpieces in black velvet, lace and ribbon) - I offered to spring for a limo but they decided to go in one of the girls' dad's camper van. DS looked good in his suit, got it in Matalan and he wears it for sixth form.

[BalloonSlayer]

Oh balls!

Proms are lovely. The girls look beautiful, the boys look handsome. Few people pair up, you mostly just get cars of boys and cars of girls. Everyone gets a cheer when they arrive. The whole thing is full of good wishes and good humour. It doesn't need to cost a fortune. It's tear-jerkingly lovely to see kids you have known since tiny all dressed up the nines, relieved about exams being over and excited and ready to start the next phase in their lives.

Who cares if it's an American idea?

[VodkaRB]

Some of the primary schools near me are doing "prom" when 11 year olds leave to go to high school.
I'm so glad our head teacher has jokingly banned the word 'prom' and gives the P7s a disco instead.

[JamesBlonde1]

I agree OP.

One of the nicest looking girls I saw in a photo had a Greek style pale dress, no fake tan, touch of make up, very natural hair, very natural all round. She looked like she would be the wall flower to some of the other girls but I thought she looked like she had stepped out of the elf world in Lord of the Rings. I couldn't see, but I imagine she didn't have false nails either.

But, if they're having a good time....

[RoseVase2010]

We used to have a 'dinner dance' in 6th form back in the 90's, I can't see that this is hugely different. (And I still have and can still fit in my dress!)

[FreyaJade]

I was 17 at my leaving party & got a long (quite sexy backless) black dress for only £29 from miss selfridge which I wore again twice aged 19 & 23 to work Xmas parties. I've still got it in my wardrobe. You don't have to pay a fortune to get a decent dress that can be re-worn. I think proms are a nice idea for leavers.

[MaisyPops]

Calling it prom is American, but my very typically British university has been doing balls and formal dinners for centuries.

I think it's lovely as long as nobody's going over the top or excluding others. I really enjoyed seeing our y11s dressed up smart (though a few of us staff joked that the kids looked older than us!)

[zeebeedee]

I thought the girls my DS is friends with looked lovely, a mixture of long and cocktail dresses, all colours and all degrees of make up/hair - from no make up and a pony tail to a bit orange and a complicated up do! They met at a friends house before going for photos etc, but no limos or anything like that!

[NonnoMum]

I don't mind the whole idea of prom in itself.
I would NEVER body shame a girl with a body con dress.
I don't mind in the least them having something fun to look forward to after GCSEs.
It's just the dresses themselves - lots of them seem a bit middle aged to me. A nice cocktail dress or some sort of mini skirt get up would seem much funkier than the Night at the Oscar dresses that seem to be so in now...
Just a thought...

[goose1964]

DD swore a black beaded strapless number to her prom didn't look frumpy at all. We had a sixth form levers do and I wore a turquoise mini with long sleeves, classy eh

[deadringer]

Halloween did not come from the US! .

[pocketsaviour]

The kids in my DS's year were forbidden from going to any "prom" rubbish and I could not have been more grateful.
(They were forbidden due to gang activity.)
Fuck knows what I would have done if he'd wanted to go.
Probably faked a sudden professional engagement at the other side of the country.

[Iamastonished]

"You can never have too many evening dresses as long as you're careful not to wear them with same crowd too many times."

It depends on your lifestyle. DD is a jeans and T-shirt sort of girl and never enjoys dressing up. She has some lovely dresses, but feels too self conscious to make the most of herself. She hates her prom dress and will never wear it again. She doesn't "do" nails, fancy hair or any make-up at all.

"Eldest has two balls in next month"

What kind of circles does she move in? Nothing like DD does.

[Unhurried]

Mean spirited bitches.
It's not you going to the 'prom' is it.
So what if the tradition came from the U.S.
The Year 11s at my school love their Leavers' Ball.

[MyOtherNameIsTaken]

My DD has worn her prom dress a few times since. She loved the ceremony of dressing up and going out in style, fancy hairdo, the works.

[Diamondlife]

I think it's a ridiculous slice of Americana that is now flourishing here. It's over the top and tacky

This.

[BrexitSucks]

this is a US tradition that we should all boycott.

Even the Americans among us? Ooh, that's harsh.

So, er, kids who don't go to 6th form shouldn't have a disco, I guess.

DD is SO looking forward to her prom. And I will enjoy her excitement & dress whatever it's like although my wallet may be traumatised. yr10 DD & a BFF agreed to be each other's dates at the yr11 prom, back in yr8. The BFF is going to make own dress & knows the design now.

I never went to my prom, not interested & no regrets.

[Nanny0gg]

It's more the pressure for the most unusual/posh/retro transport that's the problem.

And one school almost makes a red carpet out of the arrivals with all the parents waving and official photos.

The pressure if you haven't much money/taste or 'looks' must be horrific.

So glad they weren't around in my day.

[Crumbs1]

I think all my girls have worn their leavers ball gowns several times since. You can never have too many evening dresses as long as you're careful not to wear them with same crowd too many times. Eldest has two balls in next month - full, long dresses with covered shoulders required. Son has his uniform formal evening wear, which saves a lot of money and hassle but his girlfriend has to wear ball gowns.
I dislike proms for all their tacky and OTT ways of celebrating end of school - children pretending to be adults but they all seem to like them. I think sixth form balls are a better idea.

[Me264]

I'm 30 and I still have my prom dress I didn't go for a big bouffant one, it was a cocktail dress from Coast and it's still lovely 14 years later if a little tighter than it was back then

[passmethewineplease]

My cousins DD recently went to her prom and she said there was a girl arriving in a helicopter.

I was

I don't like the idea of them really. Hopefully by the time mine are that age cheesey school discos may be back in.

[Pollyanna9]

Forallthesaints I TOTALLY agree with you - prom for Christ's sake - what a load of tosh! It's like Halloween - it's all US related. It was 'bad enough' at the school disco (the fashion was black trousers, black tie and loose white man's shirt) - and I was on the outside, not within the 'popular' group (very sad as you can imagine) - but crikey, what pressure this must put on the girls of today!

I shan't be bankrupting myself for this one night I can tell ya!

I can't believe how people lap up this bullshit, I really can't.

[Iamastonished]

DD regrets her choice of prom dress and says that she will make more of an effort for her year 13 prom. Fortunately everything came to under £100 as she isn't a posh dress sort of girl.

[TeaCake5]

Proms are vulgar and tacky