High school proms are getting extremely expensive

Ahhhh, prom, that fairy tale night of limos, glamour, dancing, buckets of fresh pig blood, and — a TON of cash. According to the most recent data (compiled by Visa in 2015), the average prom attendee ...

Ahhhh, prom, that fairy tale night of limos, glamour, dancing, buckets of fresh pig blood, and — a TON of cash.

According to the most recent data (compiled by Visa in 2015), the average prom attendee spends $919 on the likes of tickets, dresses and tuxes, haircuts, shoes, jewelry, makeup, manicures, corsages, tanning, transportation, dinner, and post-prom activities.

High school proms are getting extremely expensive

The tradition began more than a century ago as a simple “night of firsts,” and started to evolve into an elaborate affair in the 1950s, when American families found themselves flush with disposable income. Today, prom is a veritable money-pit.

The average middle-income family spends $234k raising a kid (0 to 17); at $919, prom represents about 0.4% of this entire 17-year cost.

These rising costs have drawn criticism that prom isn’t accessible to everyone. Though for many, it never has been: Until 2013, a handful of proms were still segregated — and in some states, gay couples have been banned from attending prom altogether.

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