Prom Dress Pageant
In the United States and Canada, a prom, short form for promenade is used to describe a formal dance held at the end of the high school academic year. In the United Kingdom, the term is more widely understood to be in reference to a season of classical concerts or "proms", which have been held between July and September since the year 1811. The British equivalent for the North American event would be Leavers Ball, or Leavers Dinner, closer to the Australian description.
While proms dress pageants at smaller schools may be open to the entire student body, large schools may hold two proms dress Pageants, a junior prom for those finishing their 11th grade year and a senior prom for those who are finishing their high school years. The name is derived from the late nineteenth century practice of a promenade ball and the end of year tradition stemmed from the graduation ball tradition.
Boys usually dress in black tie, sometimes with brightly colored cummerbunds or vests, though any sort of formal wear can be worn. Traditionally, girls gave boys matching boutonnieres to be worn on their tuxedos. Girls traditionally wear formal gowns or dresses adorned with a corsage given to them by their date and often, boys and girls will dress according to the theme of the prom.
Common prom dress pageant activities include dining, dancing, the crowning of a prom King and Queen, and socializing. In some cases, high school students accumulate funds for their class prom through fundraisers over a period of four years they attend their high school. High schools in or near large cities may rent ballrooms at very expensive hotels or, to be unusual, venues such as a pleasure cruise boat etc. Many students group together to take limousines to their proms and often the costs are cut by using the school gym, which challenges the decorating committee to somehow mask the gym odor and drab surfaces and the music played during the dance portion of the event is normally the genre most popular with the attendees.
Many high school students feel that prom dress pageant is the most romantic night of their lives. They may go in a group that includes a person they have known for many years; other times, students just try to find a date that they like a lot. Sometimes parents--especially fathers of sons attending their first prom do accompany the dating couple. Many find it to be just as fun to attend with friends, not worrying about the dating aspect of the prom pageant. The occurrence of inappropriate conduct and occurrence of violence or alcohol/drug abuse is very common though discouraged.
A Prom Queen is a woman who is elected to be, as the name suggests, queen of the prom dress pageant. She is crowned Prom Queen by her fellow students by casting votes and electing their queen. Any student from the class is eligible to be voted as the queen or the king. The Prom Queen is partnered with a Prom King who is elected similarly and they both have a Prom King and Queen dance to celebrate their election as the king and queen.