Prom used to be for people looking for spouses. Proms, at this time, served a purpose similar to that of a debutante ball-presenting women of a certain age to the marriageable men of their socioeconomic set. Students would put on their “Sunday best” to dance and socialize with members of the opposite sex. Nothing bad ever happens at prom! Image via Snap/Shutterstock.Īlthough, today, we think of proms as being synonymous with high school, the first proms were actually collegiate affairs, occurring at elite institutions across the Northeast, starting in the late 19th century.īack then, prom was a more casual event. Prom was raised up and immortalized in film and television, and exported across the world like so many McDonald’s restaurant franchises. In either case, prom is deeply, unabashedly American. It’s a regressive, heteronormative tradition rooted in conformity and consumerism with a long history of racism, classism, and homophobia. A rite of passage not to be missed.įor others, prom just sucks. The social culmination of their waning teenage adolescence. For some, it’s the greatest night of their young lives. Here’s a look at its history, as told by photos in Shutterstock’s Editorial Collection.
