Prom tradition, an iconic rite of passage for many teenagers, has a rich and varied history. From its early origins in ancient Greece to modern-day promposals, this tradition has continually evolved to reflect societal changes.
Early Origins of Prom
The concept of a celebratory event for young people can be traced back to ancient Greece. Formal banquets, known as “symposia,” were held for elite men to honor their transition into adult society. These gatherings featured lavish dinner parties, theatrical performances, speeches, debates, music, and general revelry, often involving excessive wine drinking.
Similarly, ancient Romans celebrated a young man’s coming of age with a banquet called a “convivium.” By the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe, women began participating in aristocratic formal dances and balls, with debutante balls becoming common as coming-out ceremonies for the elite.
The First American Proms
The term “prom” is short for “promenade,” a term originally used to describe a leisurely walk or place for walking, and later, movements in ballet and ballroom dancing. The first American proms, held in the late 19th century, were modeled after these debutante balls.
An article in the December 5, 1879, issue of the Harvard Crimson references a “junior prom,” and an 1895 diary entry from Amherst student Dwight Morrow mentions being invited to a junior prom at Smith College. These early prom traditions were semi-formal end-of-the-year dances held in school gyms.
Prom Gets Popularized
Prom traditions quickly spread to high schools, becoming what Amy Best calls in her book, “Prom Night: Youth, Schools, and Popular Culture,” a democratized version of the debutante ball. The prom allowed high school students to feel as though they were “coming out” into society, transcending class boundaries.
The popularity of proms surged in the early 1930s, and by the 1940s, when teens began to be seen as a distinct consumer category, the trend really took off. The late 1940s and 1950s became the “golden age of prom,” with dances moving from school gyms to luxurious hotels and banquet rooms. The crowning of prom kings and queens also became commonplace during this period.
Presidential Proms
Proms even caught the attention of U.S. presidents. On June 7, 1963, President John F. Kennedy made a surprise visit to the John Burroughs High School senior prom at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. A decade later, on May 31, 1975, Susan Ford, daughter of President Gerald Ford, hosted the first and only White House prom.
Prom Traditions Evolve
The political unrest and counterculture movements of the 1960s and 1970s led to a decline in prom popularity, with many schools canceling the dances altogether. However, by the 1980s, prom made a comeback, as evidenced by a host of popular prom-themed movies like “Pretty in Pink” and “Footloose.”
Despite their resurgence, proms have not been without controversy. Segregated proms persisted in the Jim Crow South, and it wasn’t until 2013 that Wilcox County High School in Georgia held its first school-sponsored desegregated prom. In 2010, a school in Fulton, Mississippi, barred a lesbian couple from attending prom together, leading to a lawsuit and a subsequent policy change.
Today, prom traditions are big business. According to a 2015 Visa survey, the average cost of prom was $919 per person, encompassing attire, flowers, dinner, tickets, limo services, photography, and after-parties. The phenomenon of “promposals,” elaborate invitations to the dance, has also become a significant part of the tradition.
