As the school year nears the end and prom approaches, this can be a time filled with love, friendship and community. For some, it can also be one of isolation when the topic of a “date” is mentioned.
“I think that prom is definitely a lot more focused on dates and romance and like in High School Musical, it’s all about taking somebody,” said senior Sophie Petrucci.
This media portrayal of prom has an impact on senior perspectives and expectations for their own prom. When prom is featured in popular coming of age movies and TV shows, many scenes center around the romantic aspect, having the perfect experience with the perfect partner.
“I feel like it’s expected of people to have a date on prom,” said senior Victoria Karczmarzyk. “Even if it’s not necessarily someone you know very well.” A 2026 statistic from WifiTalents writes that 65% of prom attendees go with a romantic date. The remainder attend with friends or solo. This majority can be off-putting for students who aren’t asked to go along with another person.
The culture around securing a prom date may connect to a desire for couple pictures. “The date is more for show for a lot of people,” Karczmarzyk said. “In some cases, it’s more to say you had a date and pose for a picture rather than actually establish a connection.” According to WifiTalents, 50% of dates include pre-prom photoshoots.
Petrucci attests to preprom photoshoots contributing to stressors of obtaining a prom date. “For pre-prom photos, if everyone has dates, it’s going to be like, ‘oh, everyone’s taking pictures one-on-one with their dates,’ and I’m just going to be standing there by myself,” Petrucci said.
Some of these pressures may be unique to Lane’s dance policies. Every year, homecoming does not allow for anyone outside of Lane to attend, while Prom does, each person gets a non-lane plus-one. The differences between the allowance of outside dates from homecoming to prom creates difference according to Petrucci. “I think that it’s just a lot more relaxed and because you can’t bring people from other schools, it’s like you can’t really bring dates,” Petrucci said. “But here [with prom] it’s like every single person is trying to find someone to bring.”
Getting caught up in these societal pressures can be unnecessary stress for what is supposed to be a big moment for seniors. “I think it’ll be a lot of fun, with or without a date,” said Petrucci. “And I think, honestly, the dates make it more stressful anyway.”
