Prom

In Canada and the United States, a prom (short for "promenade") is a formal dance held at the end of the second-to-last and last year of high school, called junior prom and senior prom respectively. The name prom refers to the promotion the students will soon achieve as they leave high school and enter the workplace or higher education. In British English and Australian English, it is called a formal.

Boys are usually attired in tuxedos and girls in gowns[?] or dresses, although in recent years many girls have switched to pantsuits[?] in accordance with the growing dominance of trousers among females or simply to "stand out from the crowd" - this is despite the fact that many girls hardly ever wear dresses or skirts in daily life anymore so it could be argued that wearing a dress to prom is "standing out from the crowd" and that wearing a pantsuit is an "empty gesture" given the diminishing role dresses have in female fashion.

Common prom activities include dining, dancing, and socializing. Typically, high school students accumulate funds for their class prom over the four years they attend their high school though fundraisers. High schools near large cities often rent ballrooms at fancy hotels and many students group together to take limousines to their proms.

Of course, while not all little girls grow up to find it as romantic as Cinderella's ball, for some high school students, the prom is the most romantic night of their lives. They may go in a group that includes a person they've known for years - perhaps even since Kindergarten, such as in various movies or in the family-friendly book about high school seniors, Never Let Me Go[?]. Other times, students just try to find a date that they like. Many find it to be just as fun to attend with friends, not worrying about the dating aspect of the prom. Whichever it is, because of the age of the people, parents, teachers, or others often act as chaperones for the prom and after-prom activities.

Some universities and colleges have proms as well, depending on the size of the graduating class in a faculty or department.

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