HW 58 - Prom Interviews

For this assignment, I had four interviewees; E, a current senior, B also a current senior, my mom and my dad. E has never been to prom, but she plans for going soon.  We talked about prom clothing and who she was going with amongst other things. Our conversation started to have more meaning when I asked her why she was going to prom, "I guess it's a right of passage thing. Also you see all of the people you've spent the last four years with get dressed up, it's just fun". We also talked about kids who are in different friend groups, "There aren't really cliques, just groups of friends, and it's that night the kids you don't talk to that often might like open up". I thought this was an interesting point. Essentially, what E was saying, was that prom helps kids who are shy become more comfortable with themselves. Now, whether this is true or not, I don't know, but it's a nice way to think about prom.

The next person I talked to, B, has been to one prom and is planning on going this year as well. She said that her first time at prom wasn't as magical as she thought it was going to be. Her night ended pretty early because her date got sick. Something that particularly frustrated her was the amount of money she had spent on her outfit for the night. She hasn't worn the dress again, and spent a lot on it. I told her that her night sounded like she had the worst night ever, but she said that she did have some fun. I said that I hoped that everyone would have a fun time at this year's prom, and she said that she felt the same. 

My mother never went to prom, so I asked her what variables came to play in that decision. "I was quiet, I didn't have a boyfriend. I was asked, but I was angry because I knew he had asked out about three girls before me". My mother said this with a slight look of disgust. She also said that she didn't really see the point in going. I asked her if it had anything to do with the lack of a date or boyfriend. "Not really, it didn't really matter much to me. I was curious, but I wasn't really interested in having a boyfriend". I pictured my mother sitting in the quiet house on prom night. Her brother was probably off with his friends somewhere and her sister was probably at college.  I wondered if she felt at all left out, "I guess afterwards I did a little". She said that her friends all went, with dates, and her best friend encouraged her to go with the guy who had asked her. Overall, I felt that her simple reason, "I didn't see the point" was a fair argument- why do something you don't want to do?

My dad used to have a band by the name of Whirling Dervish. According  to my father, his band had groupies, which is hard for me to believe,  but he apparently went to prom with one of them. About a week ago, I was  going through old photos, and came across of some old late 60s and  early 70s shots of my dad. One of which he was preforming with Whirling  Dervish, and another at his prom. I laughed when I saw his prom outfit.  It was like a tux from a bad 70s prom movie. The dress shirt had some  extreme ruffles on the front, he had a powder blue tux on and a nice bow  tie to tie the whole look together. I thought to myself, is this really formal?  From my perspective I thought that prom was all about being formal and  grown up, but the only situation I can think of where wearing a powdered  blue suit and a ruffled shirt is acceptable would be at prom, and  generally worn by "the funny guy". 

Though  it may seem that prom has changed over the years, I found through my  interviews that is isn't necessarily so for every aspect of prom. While  it might be more acceptable now to go to prom without a date, both girls  from my generation have dates to prom. People still dress in formal  attire, kids still drink and party before and after prom. In contrast, I  think that the perspective on prom has changed a lot. My mom was more  focused on the fact that she wasn't really interested in boys- almost as  if going to prom revolved around having a romantic interest. In  contrast, E said that prom was all about seeing everyone looking  different and having fun together. After these interviews, my  perspective on prom hasn't changed much. I think it's a bit silly to pay  so much money to have fun with classmates, but at the same time I'd  like to go to my own prom next year, merely for the experience. As I see  it, prom is now a part of American culture, so why not experience  something that is essentially a part of my culture?