Nicholas Caldwell, Junior
Wherever it is you may go to high school, there is one thing most definite about prom. While in the past, many generations have opted for a typical, ballgown, princess-esque dress or a classic black and white tuxedo, times are changing. In more recent years, there has been a drift from classical to the inclusion of personal style, taste, and self expression.
As the nation and world progresses towards a gender fluid, politically correct, and more progressive stance, one can easily view those who were once the “weird” or “confusing” kids as trailblazers for today, especially in terms of prom fashion!
Generation Z is evidence that those who were trailblazers have made their impact on today's youth. Generation Z can easily be considered a generation of individuality. "There’s no prescribed way, like there used to be, in terms of how things have to look at a prom, how people have to look," says psychotherapist Jill S. Zimmerman Rutledge, author of Prom: The Big Night Out.
As we follow kids today and their high school experience, one is likely to see children expressing themselves more than they ever have before. The nation’s acceptance has allowed the youth to fully express themselves and identify themselves at younger ages than ever seen before. “The kids today — they are more diverse, their generation is more diverse in terms of race and ethnicity, and also they’re so much more open to different gender issues" she said. "Teenagers are striving to find who they are, and if there’s constrictions like 'girls can’t wear this, boys can’t wear this, and you can’t come with your same sex partner, you have to be this conscribed couple,' then a person can’t be who they are."
At prom you are more likely to see a representation of one's town and the standards that are held within the community. It depends on the surroundings one bears and the adult’s conception of fashion in today's world. While one can see these expressive and personal outfits on runways, one must encourage and carry this belief to their fairy tale night out. Encouraging and allowing those who have been oppressed for who they are and what they want to wear is how the nation has become so unique; although, in some cases, it can be diminished.
"Prom has reflected American adolescence, and it usually contains and magnifies the features of whatever is going on with that age cohort at the time. As the millennium changed over, and we're in a different generation now, there's just much more acceptance of gender fluidity," said Ann Anderson, author of High School Prom: Marketing, Morals and the American Teen.
Prom can be an empowering night for young adults to express themselves, or it can be an uncomfortable event. In some communities, it can cause uproar when students don’t follow traditions and standards helped by society. Recently, a controversy in the state of Pennsylvania has come to light over a lesbian female who was suspended from school after wearing a tux to her prom in 2016.
Every year, slowly but surely, women and men such as the Pennsylvanian mentioned above are changing our nation towards a more accepting and more expressive world in which everyone has equal rights.
Some may believe prom fashion to be bountiful, beautiful dresses and the traditional tuxedo, although prom fashion truly inquires most than just traditions. Prom fashion must encourage the voice of the youth as the nation progresses so that eventually no student will be shunned for the way the act on what is supposed to be one of the best nights of their high school career. Teens are continually breaking gender rules, and now, they are extending the boundaries of prom night for an all-inclusive setting.
If there’s one thing to keep in mind while shopping for their prom outfits this year, it should be to represent one’s true self and by doing this, recognize the great accomplishment we are achieving to pave the way for future generations.
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