Prom dates - Are they worth it?

by Victoria Clarke

For ladies of the school-leaving persuasion, the year's end means two things: Examinations and the Prom. An iconic, integral part of the American high school experience, proms are becoming increasingly common worldwide. Any excuse for a party! Here are the pros and cons for having prom arm candy...

High school proms (short for 'promenades') probably emerged from debutante balls, where elite society girls in white gloves and dresses were escorted into a grand hall for their formal introduction to the dating scene (upper-class bachelors only, mind you). Nowadays a traditional prom is all about stretch limos, live bands, corsages, the prom queen and king, show-stopping dresses... and proms are also traditionally about firsts. First kiss, first fumble, first over-indulgence in drink, first drunken french kiss with a lamp post...

Prom is lame. Once you're old enough to go it's totally not cool anymore" - Juno

Is fictional indie chick Miss Juno MacGuff right? My prom this May was, on paper, a bloody nightmare. I was dateless and pissed off. Yet I still had a damn good time. So is a date is really necessary to feel you've made the most of your prom?

5 Reasons why prom dates rule

• You're guaranteed a slow dance partner, and when the soppy tunes are a-playin' you'll sway from side to side like there's no tomorrow.
• They're a way of hitching a ride there and back - which is pretty damn handy.
• It's always nice to hear someone who isn't your mother say how pretty you look in the dress you've worked so hard to find/make.
• There's a good chance that you'll have somewhere to go after the event.
• Upon arrival, you'll (usually) receive a cute couple snap of the two of you to look back on fondly when your grandchildren have just bought their first hovercrafts.

7 Reasons why Juno was right

• You're spared the effort of finding a date, which can be absolutely exhausting work.
• You're saved the effort of spending a whole evening talking to the newspaper boy, who you barely know but paid good money to attend the prom as your date and act willing. You're also spared the effort of joylessly tongueing their ear purely, in a sense, to have something to say.
• You won't be tied to just the one person for your prom night, you can be wild and free.
• You can dress to impress yourself, not someone else.
• You can dance with whoever you want, whenever you want. And if the music is terrible you have no obligation to dance.
• Going with friends means cheaper transportation and more photos.
• Looking like a twat tripping over in your heels isn't such a big deal anymore, everybody's doing it.

It's probably worth pointing out that as the whole reason behind proms changes (they're no longer your first chance to throw up gracelessly into a stranger's lap or find a man worthy of you), the idea of the prom date is becoming increasingly flexible. Yes, a girl can ask a boy out as their prom date. Yes, it's fine to just go with your friends, whether you're a girl or a boy. It's okay. Even the dress isn't that important, in the end.

And there you have it - the pros and cons of acquiring prom arm candy. It's your call from here on in.

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