The room glistened with sequins and glitter, filled with girls searching for the perfect dress. One senior, Ashley Smith, picks out a dress in her favorite shade of pink. She tries it on and it fits like a glove, despite many others not being quite right. She then looks at the price tag to see that it costs $500. She thinks about senior expenses, AP exams, and upcoming college tuition, then slowly puts the dress back on the rack.
This is the reality for many teenagers as they get ready for prom. Prom is a twice in a lifetime event where upperclassmen get a chance to dress up, dance, and take photos they will keep for years. However, the expectations surrounding prom weigh heavily for many. Because it only happens twice, there is pressure for everything to feel memorable, and that pressure often begins with finding the right dress.
Across the country, students spend hundreds of dollars on prom attire. Many students spend upwards of $1,100 on prom materials. These costs add up quickly, especially when combined with other senior expenses. Senior fees at many schools can reach a few hundred dollars, covering things like graduation materials and events. Additionally, college enrollment deposits often range from $100 to $500 depending on the institution, and that’s only the beginning of their tuition. Ultimately, a prom dress becomes one more expense in an already expensive year, forcing many students to make difficult choices on where they should spend their money.
Many seniors feel this financial pressure more than ever, especially as they begin managing money on their own during the college process. For many, this is the first time they are learning about their household finances as they complete forms like the CSS or FAFSA. While thinking about future costs, the added expenses of prom can feel overwhelming.
The Nashville SUNN interviewed a few seniors across Nashville to see how they felt preparing for prom.
Jissie Sadek describes the experience as “frustrating,” explaining, “it’s one thing to find one that fits and another to find one that’s actually in your price range.” Her words showcase the struggle many students face as they walk into the store hoping to find something that feels good. She adds, “an event you only have twice is important but it’s not the most important thing.” Sadek is looking forward to prom yet understands her financial priorities, which is the case for many students.
The same sense of pressure appears in senior Hala Hountulli’s experience. She describes searching for a prom dress to be “very stressful” because she goes “to multiple stores and none of the dresses [she] finds are to [her] liking,” she said. And after searching for so long, she ended up finding her prom dress just a week before the event. She admits that she “mainly [picked her] dress based on price.” Like many high school students, Hountulli had to be very mindful of what dress to pick because prom dresses are often too expensive for the average teenager.
But not all prom dresses are expensive. Many seniors recall getting their prom dresses off the sales rack.
“Finding a dress was really stressful, but I knew I couldn’t afford one, so I went to the Macy’s clearance sale and got my dress for $30,” said a high school senior from Valor College Prep.
Another student described a similar approach. “I don’t work so I had to get my dress for $60 in Windsor. It was a good dress, not what I dreamed of, but it was better than nothing.”
In high school, there is a constant pressure to fit in. The search for the “perfect” dress can exacerbate those feelings — especially as high dress prices complicate things. Every student should be able to look good and feel good during this memorable event. But for most students, the look and fit of an outfit come second to its cost. Making the venture to find a prom dress daunting as it could often put a lot of unnecessary strain on these high school students. These experiences, alongside many others, reveal that for many students the search for a dress is not just based on how it looks or fits, but also its cost.
