Editing Prom (section)

==In the United States==
===History===
[[File:Junior Prom 1928.jpg|left|thumb|A crowd gathers for a group photo at a junior prom in Canada, 1928.]]
In the early days of high school proms, the nighttime dance served a function similar to a [[Cotillion ball|debutante ball]]. Early proms were times of firsts: the first adult social event for teenagers; the first time taking the family car out after dark; the first real dress-up affair; and so forth. Proms also served as a heavily documented occasion, similar to a milestone event such as first communion or a wedding, in which the participants were taking an important step into a new stage in their lives. In earlier days, the prom may have also served as an announcement of engagement for the 'best couple' after the prom court had been crowned and recognized.<ref>{{cite book |author=Ann Anderson |title=High School Prom: Marketing, Morals and the American Teen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WCLjW3bh9QUC&pg=PA7 |year=2012 |publisher=McFarland |pages=7–10|isbn=9781476600079 }}</ref>

[[File:High School prom couple portrait.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Prom dates pose for a photo, 1997]]

While high school [[yearbook]]s did not start covering proms and including prom pictures until the 1930s and 1940s, historians, including Meghan Bretz, believe proms may have existed at colleges as early as the late 19th century. The journal of a male student at [[Amherst College]] in 1894 recounts an invitation and trip to an early prom at neighboring [[Smith College]] for women. The word ''prom'' at that time may have been a fancy description for an ordinary junior or senior class dance, but prom soon took on larger-than-life meaning for high school students.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vintageinn.ca/2014/11/prom-in-the-1940s-and-1950s/ |title=Prom in the 1940s and 1950s - The Vintage Inn |date=19 November 2014 |access-date=24 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161125043323/http://www.vintageinn.ca/2014/11/prom-in-the-1940s-and-1950s/ |archive-date=25 November 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Proms worked their way down incrementally from college gatherings to high school extravaganzas. In the early 20th century, prom was a simple tea dance where high school seniors wore their Sunday best. In the 1920s and 1930s, prom expanded into an annual class banquet where students wore party clothes and danced afterward. As Americans gained more money and leisure time in the 1950s, proms became more extravagant and elaborate, bearing similarity to today's proms. The high school gym may have been an acceptable setting for [[sophomore]] dances, but [[Junior (education year)|junior]] prom and [[Senior (education)|senior]] balls gradually moved to hotel ballrooms and country clubs. Competition blossomed, as teens strove to have the best dress, the best mode of transportation, and the best-looking date. Competition for the prom court also intensified, as the designation of prom queen became an important distinction of popularity. Prom became the pinnacle event of a high school student's social life.

Today, prom continues to be a notable event in the social climate of high schools. Popular movies and novels attest to the importance of prom themes, prom dates, and prom queens. In some areas, the traditions of prom are not as rigid as they used to be, with many students attending as individuals or in groups instead of as couples. In 1975, U.S. First Daughter [[Susan Ford]] held her prom in the [[East Room]] of the [[White House]].<ref>{{cite book|author= Anderson|title=High School Prom: Marketing, Morals and the American Teen|pages=100–114}}</ref>{{clear}}

===Attire===
[[File:Pinning corsage 2011-04.jpg|thumb|right|A woman pinning a boutonnière on her prom date.]]
Traditionally, boys dress in black or white formal wear, often [[tuxedos]] regardless of the time of the event, sometimes paired with ties or [[bow tie]]s with [[vest]]s or [[cummerbund]]s, in some cases in colors matching their date's dress.

Traditionally, girls wear [[dresses]] or [[evening gowns]] and adorn themselves with ladies' jewelry such as earrings and a necklace. Traditionally, girls wear perfume and make-up such as eyeshadow, lipstick, mascara, and blush. Girls also traditionally wear a [[corsage]], given to them by their dates, and girls give boys matching [[boutonnière]]s to be worn on their [[lapels]].

By the 2000s, the clothes girls wear to prom have become more revealing due to the influence of celebrities and the mass media.<ref>{{Cite news |last=La Ferla |first=Ruth |date=May 29, 2001 |title=More and More, the Prom Dress Covers Less and Less |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/29/nyregion/more-and-more-the-prom-dress-covers-less-and-less.html |access-date=June 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220628151555/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/29/nyregion/more-and-more-the-prom-dress-covers-less-and-less.html |archive-date=June 28, 2022}}</ref>

===Promposals===
A "promposal" (a [[portmanteau]] of "prom" and "proposal") is a popular pre-prom tradition where a student asks another to go to the prom with them using some (usually elaborate) method and extra fanfare. A promposal is distinct from the normal prom ask, which typically includes the question, "Will you go to prom with me?" without additional spectacle. Promposals may include concepts and materials from posters, confetti, and balloons to the more viral, elaborate plans that give promposals their extravagant reputation. Examples include spelling "Prom?" with pepperoni on pizza,<ref>{{cite web |author1=WePrankedYa |title=HOW TO ASK A GIRL TO PROM WITH PIZZA |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfdRIBDVvm8 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428180931/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfdRIBDVvm8| archive-date=2021-04-28 | url-status=dead|website=YouTube |date=June 7, 2013}}</ref> organizing a [[flash mob]],<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/7yiwZ91DpVk Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20170429092045/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yiwZ91DpVk Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |author1=Brandon Wong |title=Prom Asking Flash Mob! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yiwZ91DpVk |website=YouTube |date=May 19, 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Sung |first1=Morgan |title=9 times high schoolers had the most extra promposals |url=https://mashable.com/2018/03/15/most-impressive-promposals-high-school-prom/#cMZZS.OTKsq9 |website=Mashable |date=March 15, 2018}}</ref> graffitiing national park land,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sung |first1=Morgan |title=10 times high schoolers had the most extra promposals |url=https://mashable.com/2018/03/15/most-impressive-promposals-high-school-prom/#cMZZS.OTKsq9 |website=Mashable |date=March 15, 2018}}</ref> and using a [[hot-air balloon]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ossad |first1=Jordana |title=My Super Sweet 16 And Promposal Will Make Your Sundays Super Sweet |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/3010303/my-super-sweet-16-promposal-promo/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170508051052/http://www.mtv.com/news/3010303/my-super-sweet-16-promposal-promo/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 8, 2017 |website=MTV News |date=May 7, 2017}}</ref> Promposals, due to their flashy nature, often include a social media aspect like livestreaming, taking and posting videos, and other forms of memorializing on social media platforms.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bonos |first1=Lisa |title=Are high school 'promposals' cute or too much? Here's a guide to the trend. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/soloish/wp/2018/04/30/are-high-school-promposals-cute-or-too-much-heres-a-guide-to-the-trend/ |newspaper=Washington Post |date=April 30, 2018}}</ref>

===Champagne Parties===
[[File:Date Night At The Clubhouse - Angle 1.jpg|thumb|A champagne party at a clubhouse, 2024]]
Champagne parties, also known as "send-offs," have become a prominent pre-prom tradition in the United States. These celebrations typically take place before high school proms and serve as elaborate gatherings that precede the formal prom event. The concept of champagne parties gained significant attention due to their flamboyant nature and the remarkable cultural custom they represent.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-prom-send-offs-met--20140509-story.html|title=In African-American community, pre-prom parties have glitz, glam|date=2014-05-14|access-date=2014-05-20|work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref>

Originating in the 2010s{{fact|date=June 2024}}, champagne parties are characterized by their extravagance, creativity, and community involvement. Families host these events to celebrate and honor their teenagers as they prepare to depart for their proms. The festivities often include live music, themed decorations, red carpet entrances, and communal gatherings where friends, family, and neighbors come together to celebrate the youth's journey into adulthood. Attire at champagne parties typically mirrors the elegance and formality of prom attire, with teenagers and sometimes even their guests donning stylish evening gowns, suits, and formalwear.

===Logistics and traditions===
[[Image:Prom crowded dancefloor.jpg|thumb|left|Prom dance]]
Prom attendees may be limited by their schools to be juniors or seniors and guests under age 21.<ref>{{cite web|title=District 155 Guidelines|url=http://www.d155.org/pr/info/prom.htm|date=2010-05-21|access-date=2010-05-28|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100422195138/http://www.d155.org/pr/info/prom.htm|archive-date=2010-04-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Roxana Hegeman |url=https://news.yahoo.com/kansas-school-apologies-airman-prom-dispute-204148799.html |title=Kansas school apologizes to Airman in prom dispute |publisher=News.yahoo.com |date=2013-05-01 |access-date=2013-05-20}}</ref> Boys are usually the ones to ask their date to the prom. A 2014 YouGov survey of men who went to prom found that 79% of them asked. Of women surveyed, 29% said they asked.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://today.yougov.com/society/articles/9216-proms | title=Most Americans didn't go to Prom &#124; YouGov }}</ref> Before prom, girls typically get their hair styled, often in groups as a social activity at a salon. Prom couples then gather at a park, garden, or their own and their dates' houses for single and group photographs. Prom attendees may rent [[limousine]]s<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-illinois-legislature-0515-20130515,0,7636634.story|title=DUI Prom Bus Driver Charged|date=2013-05-14|access-date=2013-05-20|work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> or party buses<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://highcitylimo.com/prom-party-bus/|title=Prom Party Bus for the Best Night of Your Life with up to 30 of your friends!|newspaper=High City Limo|language=en-US|access-date=2016-12-14}}</ref> to transport groups of friends from their homes to the prom venue. Some schools host their proms at hotel ballrooms, banquet halls, or other venues where weddings typically take place. The dance itself may have a band or DJ.  At prom, a meal may be served. By the early 21st century, prom has become a multi-billion-dollar business in the United States, with each family spending hundreds to even thousands of dollars for the occasion.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rosenberg |first=Merri |date=May 13, 2001 |title=Of Proms and Profits |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/13/nyregion/in-business-of-proms-and-profits.html |access-date=June 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220628151647/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/13/nyregion/in-business-of-proms-and-profits.html |archive-date=June 28, 2022}}</ref>

Some high schools allow only the graduating class (''seniors'') to have a prom. Some schools also allow grade 11 (''juniors'') to have a prom, and in some cases, there is a combined junior/senior prom. Some American high schools that do not allow school-sponsored dances will host a junior/senior prom as a banquet instead of a dance. Typically, students still dress in formal attire and attend as couples. In recent years, American teens have started asking celebrities or famous models to their proms.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://omg.yahoo.com/blogs/celeb-news/teen-invited-kate-upton-prom-gets-best-consolation-190927741.html |title=Teen Who Invited Kate Upton to Prom Gets Best Consolation Prize Ever |publisher=Omg.yahoo.com |date=2013-05-23 |access-date=2017-04-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/teen-scores-nfl-star-as-prom-date-on-twitter/ |work=Fox News |title=Teen scores NFL star as prom date on Twitter |date=2012-05-13}}</ref>

===Post-prom===
After the prom, parents or a community may host a ''prom after-party'',<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/sns-rt-us-usa-prombre94g0ma-20130517,0,6197270,full.story |title=Prom After Party |date=2013-05-18 |access-date=2013-05-20 |work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> ''afterglow'' or ''post-prom''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jhhs.d214.org/assets/5/Documents/end%20of%20year%20calendar.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2012-05-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120518002942/http://jhhs.d214.org/assets/5/Documents/end%20of%20year%20calendar.pdf |archive-date=2012-05-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dehspostprom.com/senior_tips_for_attending_post_prom/ |title=Senior Tips for Attending Post Prom |publisher=DEHS Post Prom |access-date=2013-05-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130826222153/http://dehspostprom.com/senior_tips_for_attending_post_prom |archive-date=2013-08-26 |url-status=dead }}</ref> at a restaurant, entertainment venue, or a student's home. Other traditions often include trips to nearby attractions, such as [[amusement park]]s, regional or local parks, or vacation houses. Some of these post-prom events are chaperoned<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/whitmanhs/ptsa/postprom.aspx |title=Walt Whitman High School Post Prom Page |access-date=2012-09-18}}</ref> and some are unsupervised. Many post-proms (after-prom events) are at the school, and involve bringing entertainment such as interactive games, artists, and other entertainers to the school, as a means to deter inappropriate behaviors.