Although evidence of the first high school dances was not recorded in high school yearbooks until the 1930s and 1940s, historians believe the balls existed at the college level long before this period. Based on the evidence in the diary of a male student at Amherst College in 1894 that specified a prom he had previously attended at nearby Smith College, historians believe that promotion balls were common events at universities in XIX century. While ball may have simply been an expensive term for a normal junior or senior class dance, its distinction as an exceptional night has certainly existed and will only grow in the century to come.
During the 1950s, as Americans enjoyed the luxury of the postwar world economy, balls began to become elaborate and expensive opportunities. It has become extremely important to arrive with the most beautiful date and be named for the ball game guaranteeing instant social status. It was also in the 1950s that teenage girls started paying more attention to their prom dresses and running special races for the perfect outfit. Since the high school gymnasium was suitable for sophomore dances, the graduation parameters and the senior dances were gradually moved to larger venues.
During the 1980s, graduation night began to grow taller than life, as several teen movies marketed it as the quintessential maturity business in a young person's life. The rivalry for the evening dance becomes more and more intense, the distinction of the queen of the ball proves to be close to royal royalty. The ball had become a culminating part of a teenager's life, the moment fantasies and romantic relationships flourished or disintegrated. Non-traditional partners also become a more regular show on prom night. In almost every way, the ball has gone beyond the time of strictly chaperone banquets and the label of glamorous extravagance where almost everything happens.
Party dresses have the power to immediately transform you from a normal high school girl to a prom queen. In most high schools, there is a dance floor where older boys and girls are selected by their peers to be the dancing queen and dance king. Votes are obtained primarily on the popularity of candidates and their level of activity at school events such as student government, sports, and organizations. Today, academics are taken into account as well, and the graduation night rate is generally chosen by the votes of students, teachers, and staff. Numerous end-of-year dances continue throughout the night today, with afternoons after the dance and breakfasts. Traditionally, a boy would ask a girl to be his prom date, but an increasing number of girls are requesting it today. And most of today's dance has a theme, like a Hawaiian luau, a night in Paris or a starry night.
