Although it's not required for attendance, the majority of prom attendees have dates as it has become socially accepted and expected for students (especially boys) to go with a date. I don't object to the date expectation, but where it gets tricky is what the date entails. The dancing, which constitutes the majority of the night, is more intimate than that of our grandparents. Suffice it to say that no one swing dances at prom. Even if the date is a boyfriend or girlfriend, typical dancing at a high-school formal encourages teens to interact physically like they are married.
Many couples go "just as friends," but in my experience of going to three formals and observing the social politics of many more, that phrase seems to be rarely understood. A girl (or guy) can say the magic words "just friends" a hundred times over, but someone manages to interpret the dance as more. After all, the two of them spend anywhere from four to ten hours together in one night, including a couple hours of close dancing. Add that to the extensive texting and calling that are inevitable in working out the many logistics of the event. It's a recipe for emotional attachment.
Attendees invest significant money into things that are purely superficial. For the girl, there is the dress, with a price ranging from $60 to $400; matching formal shoes; a hairstyle which, even without a hair appointment, costs money for hairspray and a curler/straightener; the boutonniere; painted or acrylic nails; and possibly fancier makeup or another appointment.
The guy has a comparable to-buy list: a nice shirt; a vest or tie; a rented tux; dress shoes; the corsage; and the tickets and dinner (if he follows the tradition of treating the girl). And this doesn't include the limo or activities like bowling that come afterwards.
All this for one night, and virtually none of these expensive items are reusable, save for the shoes and arguably the dress, if a girl doesn't mind re-wearing it.
Prom is a fun high-school experience, but it's also a symbol for our cultural mindset that encourages the spending of countless time and energy into maintaining appearances and having fun despite the fact that it's all going to be over soon.
