Prom season marks the rite of passage that teens have celebrated since the late 19th century – but that one special night wasn't always about the over-the-top 'promposals,' dresses, flowers, limousines and awkward photos.
According to History.com, celebratory events for young people can be traced back to ancient Greece, but the history of prom, short for promenade, is rooted in 18th and 19th century debutante balls, the popular high-society tradition with an introductory parading of guests in formal attire at a co-ed banquet.
The prom we're more familiar with today evolved in the 20th century to serve a similar function for graduating middle-class white women who might not be able to afford debutante balls.
The Greeks threw celebrations, called “symposia,” for elite men who were about to transition into adult society.
Greek traditions like throwing lavish dinner parties and playing music have stuck, but as cultural norms shifted, so have proms — which are slowly becoming more inclusive for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ students who have continued to push for equal access.
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Hair used to be done at home, now girls go to a salon; couples were the norm, now groups of friends are more accepted; house parties used to be the post-prom activity, now many schools host extravagant after-proms; nails, makeup and tanning were once unheard of, now they're an unspoken requirement for attendees, three generations of women told the Des Moines Registrar, part of USA TODAY Network.
Prom is the "quintessential story of high school," Francine Pascal, creator of the "Sweet Valley High" series said during a "This American Life" episode. And it's taken historic events, including World War II and the COVID-19 lockdowns, to disrupt the gatherings. When theGreat Depressionhit in the 1930s, some high schools cancelled proms so that poorer students wouldn’t be“psychologically wounded,” according to authorBeth L. Bailey's book on the history of dating in America.
"It's the moment that comes closest to the romantic vision of life," Pascal said. "I think it's repeated only one other time, and that would be marriage. It's that important in high school life, in the teenager life."
When was the first prom in the US?
It's unclear where the first American prom was hosted, but news articles from colleges in Massachusetts provide some clarity on early celebrations during the late 19th century, according to History.com.
In Cambridge, The Harvard Crimson Dec. 5, 1879, issue references the junior prom.
In 1895, an Amherst College student named Dwight Morrow, who later became the ambassador to Mexico and a U.S. senator, wrote a diary entry detailing his invitation to attend Smith College’s junior prom.
When did high schools adopt proms?
According to History.com, segregated white high schoolsintroduced proms in the 1920s to show teenagers how to behave cultural norms and stereotypes of their gender — for example, women being subservient to men — and race.
Proms really took off in the early 1930s and again in the a post-war boom of the 1940s, which is when companiesgeared more of their products to teens.
Dubbed the “golden age of prom” by author Ann Anderson in “High School Prom: Marketing, Morals and the American Teen,” the 1950s were a transitional period for dances. Proms in sweaty gyms became passé, with more schools opting for hotels and banquet rooms, and choosing a prom king and queen to crown became commonplace.
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