School Prom vent....

Alikay

My children's school does the prom in year 13 a week or so before A levels start, so most of the students are 18.

My boys both wore Burton's dinner suits which cost round about £100 each and DD had a cocktail length satin dress from TK Maxx which was about £30. All of the clothes have been worn loads of times since. No fake tans, limo's or professional photo shoots, just existing make up and jewellery for DD and a polish up of the school shoes for the lads. A lift down town in the dadmobile after sharing a bottle of Cava with their best friends. All had friends who borrowed clothes or improvised existing outfits, and there were just one or two exceptions who maybe spent £200-£300. No £1000 gowns, breast implants or helicopters!

It wasn't what I'd call excessive to mark the end of school attendance, but the papers always have to print details of the few who go OTT.

janninew

Dunroamin wrote: »

Not a lesson that's appropriate for school life though.

In your opinion, in mine a very appropriate lesson for 15/16 year old children to learn.

Some probably learn even younger when the expensive school trips come around, or after the Christmas holidays when some come back with the latest IPOD, IPAD etc.

I remember my Dad telling me when I was young that life wasn't fair and some had more than others.

Pollycat

I think some of the comments made by the girls featured are pretty shallow:

there are girls wearing Topshop or Miss Selfridge dresses. But I definitely wouldn’t want to go in a High Street dress — it’s the prom, so it’s all about the prom dress.

Some girls have been more interested in their outfits than their exams

Quote below is from a 16 year old :eek:

We’re not allowed to bring any alcohol to the prom. But everyone will bring drinks to the after party at my house — beer for the boys, and vodka and Lambrini for the girls. It makes people less shy.

From a different 16 year old :eek::eek::

I’m sensible now with alcohol, but I haven’t always been. The first time I got really drunk was two years ago, at home with friends.
I threw up outside on the vegetable patch after drinking too much cherry Lambrini. That’s all I drink when I go out, as it’s cheap and gets you drunk, and I can usually get through three-quarters of a bottle in a night.


My mum and dad don’t mind me drinking, and they will be at home anyway — they have the opinion that a hangover is the best punishment, and that shouting and screaming won’t achieve anything.

I recently had my 16th birthday party and that was successful: I cleared up afterwards, even a friend’s vomit from the bathroom door, so I earned their trust

Gra76

When I left school we had a school-leavers disco at the local youth club. You could wear anything you wanted. I went in a smart pair of jeans and a shirt. Most of the other lads in the year did the same. The girls wore whatever they wanted too. Most of them turned up in fairly smart dresses but I doubt many of them went out and bought a new expensive dress just for the occasion. Nobody turned up in a limo.

Mind you, this was in the early 90's, before things got stupid.

janninew

Quite eye-opening quotes Pollycat, you have to wonder what their parents are thinking!

SmallL

I had two proms in school, one at the end of year 11, bought a 80 quid dress off a chinese custom dress site for it, got worn for about an hour because i had to go home due to having a skin infection.
Second one was alot more expensive because my 'friends' insisted on a limo, dress still from a chinese custom made site for 80 quid ish.
I would of got a high street dress but due to being short,small framed and very busty, dresses just don't fit, especially 'occasion' ones.

i thought both were a waste of time as i was forced to 'sub' in for alcohol even though i don't like it, the food was also sub par, would of much rather stayed in and played video games

Pollycat

janninew wrote: »

I'm one of five children so we didn't have much money either. There weren't proms back in my day, but I do remember lots of kids having the latest trainers and getting to go on the school trips that we couldn't afford. A few kids would make nasty comments about my 'no brand' trainers, but the majority didn't even notice. I don't think the majority of kids going to proms will rub the less fortunate kids noses in. It seems in this day though everybody expects to have the same as everybody else and that isn't very realistic.

And that was my point.

Proms are another and even bigger way to point out the less financially fortunate.
I'm not saying that the more fortunate kids will deliberately rub other kids' nose in it but it is there just the same.

I don't know about in this day but when I was young I didn't expect to get the same things for Christmas & birthdays as my friends did.

And it made me independant - I got a Saturday job when I was 15.
And I learned to sew so i had lots of unique clothes.

peachyprice

Pollycat wrote: »

But parents didn't spend a fortune on a dress that will probably be worn once, shoes, nails, fake tan and a stretch limousine years ago - at least mine didn't.
£775 - !!!!!!!

Most parents still don't.

louise3965

It wasn't like that in my day either, yet I am sane enough to realise that not all kids are vacuous, stupid, sl*ppers whose only thoughts are about shopping.

This thread seems to be lots of bosom hoiking and judgey pants-ness.

notakid

louise3965 wrote: »

It wasn't like that in my day either, yet I am sane enough to realise that not all kids are vacuous, stupid, sl*ppers whose only thoughts are about shopping.

This thread seems to be lots of bosom hoiking and judgey pants-ness.

:rotfl:Can I nick your last paragraph for my sig please?