A thousand bucks to go to the prom? Really?
We were astonished to see the results of a survey in which American parents reported they would spend an average $1,078 to send their child to a high school prom this year.
In the West, the average was less ($744), but still a lot more than it needs to be.
After all, we’re talking about a prom — not a wedding.
Schools should revert to a simpler approach so the event remains within financial reach for all students.
Paradoxically, those in some of the lower income brackets said they planned to spend more than the average, some $2,600 per kid for families earning between $20,000 and $29,000.
We wonder if the prospect of being a princess — or a prince, as it were — for a night exerts more pressure on those who have less in their daily lives.
In any case, it’s just too much, and costs are on the rise. The survey, done by Visa Inc., also showed prom spending has gone up 33.6 percent over last year.
And we thought college tuition inflation was bad.
An executive for Visa said the escalating costs come from teens who are continuously trying to one-up each other.
There’s the cost of dresses, tuxes, hair, nails, swanky restaurants, limousine services, flowers and increasingly fancy after-prom parties.
Last year, The Denver Post ran a story about the trend of extravagant after-prom productions. At East High School, the after-prom party included elaborate representations of movie sets, a red carpet, search lights, karaoke, food, and a casino run by teachers. And that was just the after-party.
We don’t want to be curmudgeons and suggest that proms return to the high school gym, a three-piece band and Dad’s borrowed car, but surely there must be a middle ground.