Prom is a traditional social convention wherein boy and girl celebrate passage from adolescence to adulthood in a symbolic heterosexual mating ritual. It's either that or an excuse to get laid.

Prom.. Lord I havent thought about that in a hundred years... Back when I went to prom ( yes it was shortly after Dinosaurs roamed the earth ) You had to be a jr. or sr. or have a date with a jr. or sr. and you had to go to our school...and honestly I dont think anyone went stag ! I think it is awesome now that the kids all go in groups..and wish my generation would have been able to do that.. I know a couple of my friends stayed home because they were dating guys from other towns.. They missed our prom.. Kudos to all you young people that go in groups and probably have way more fun than being on a date with someone you dont really like.. just to get to go to prom !!

I am probably the big elephant in the room - but I am guessing the reason everyone is required to have a date is because they don't want gay couples.

Look into it further - that is probably at the root.

Then again - I have been known to be wrong... from time to time :)

As for my prom: FANTASTIC. It was in Shiner - so all we did was meet at the VFW hall - eat - and watch a video.

The after parties were the REAL prom...

Ah yes, the prom. I remember my junior prom thanks to the huge scar on my leg [note to all: barbed wire fences and wet bodies do not mix well]. I remember my senior prom because it was the first time our little school [Bloomington] was allowed to have the prom at what was then the Plaza Club and we were so excited -- up until my friend tripped going into the elevator and smashed her face on the wall. Not only was there a giant makeup smear on the mirrored wall, but she also busted her lip and it began to swell. Not the best looking prom picture, I must say. What I remember most about both proms was having a good time -- without dates. We all went in groups for the most part [there were couples but not a ton] and we all hung out before and after the dance. There was lots of laughter, lots of dancing and no one thought twice about those of us who were dateless. To take this rite of passage away for whatever reason is wrong IMO. Unless all the single girls are planning to form their own little gang and beat up all the couples, what harm does it do? So what if they are going solo? Maybe they just don't want to go with a guy and have to look at their pictures for years to come, saying to themselves "why? what was I thinking when I went with him?" Or maybe, just like me, they decided that rather than having to spend the whole night hanging out with one person [mostly], it would much more fun to hang out with EVERYBODY. But maybe that's just me.

I'm glad you had a good time at your prom.  I didn't go to mine.  Way back then, only students of the school were welcome, so if you were dating someone from another school, either you found another date or you didn't attend.  I didn't attend and kept my girlfriend -- for a while anyway.  None of the guys wore a tux to the prom.  The girls pretty much wore nice party dresses and some wore formals, but guys went in suits or slacks and sport coat.  Going in a limo?????  No way.  Some of the guys had their own cars, but most washed the family car -- hope it wasn't a station wagon -- and picked up their girlfriend it that.  There was some hard liquor but for the most part our drugs of choice were Lone Star and Winstons.  I guess the thing I remember most from high school was being in a hurry to get out so I could do what I wanted.  Yeah, right!  Now I'm looking forward to retirement for the same reason.