I’ve always loved getting dressed up for a school dance. Spending hours perfecting my dress, makeup, and hair. There’s no doubt that I’m excited for prom this year, however I can’t help but wonder if it’s all worth it.

Anytime I hear someone mention the word “prom,” I feel overwhelmed by the completely unnecessary stress of it all. Finding the “right” group and the “right” place to take pictures or go to dinner has always felt so superficial to me.

For the amount of money, time, and energy that people put into prom, I have got to wonder if anybody really has a good enough time to justify all of that. The places around the country have proms, but I don’t think anybody takes it as seriously as we do here. It sometimes starts to feel more like a fashion show than a high school dance.

Nails, hair, dresses and houses seem to be all some girls can talk about for the entire third quarter. Sometimes it seems like people rant about the “stress” of prom just to brag about their plans.

Another thing, I hate it when things turn into one big photoshoot. Now don’t get me wrong I love having aesthetic Instagram pictures as much as the next 17 year old but something about those hours long photoshoots before prom feels so superficial to me.

Don’t even get me started on prom houses. Planning them seems to be all that anybody in all of my classes can talk about. It just blows my mind that people can convince their parents to rent beach houses for them and their friends to trash for the weekend. It’s just one of those things that is so obnoxiously Mount Pleasant.

Wando usually does a really good job making our prom tickets more affordable than other schools’; however, prom tickets prices jumped from $30 to $50 this year. Since prom will be hosted in the same venue that it has been for years, there is no obvious reason for the change.

In my opinion, Wando should be doing more to make prom accessible to all of its students. Although some prom traditions might not make sense to me, who am I to hate on people that are just trying to have a good time? I’m hoping that this year I can learn to take myself a little bit less seriously and have fun despite all of the pressure of having the “perfect prom.”