I remember my end of school summer prom, unfortunately, as though it wasn't quite as long ago as it perhaps was. And I look back with fond memories; the opportunity to celebrate the end of the most significant period of your 'childhood' and a chance to let loose with your school friends, before they all go their separate ways. I think the tradition has fantastic sentiment and I am an advocate of schools putting the effort in, to help make these amazing memories for their students.
However, boy, has it changed since the 15+ years since I attended my prom. Don't get me wrong, at the time there was still a lot of excitement around the event and everyone wanted to look their best - a chance to show you are maturing. I think I bought my dress a few weeks before the date itself; a burnt orange mini dress from Karen Millen, worth maybe a max of ~£150, which at the time was more than I'd ever imagined spending on an outfit for myself (well my parents spending on me, let's be honest), but in comparison to the cost being spent now, is minimal.
Nowadays, girls are shopping for their prom dresses anywhere from 6 months in advance - with many prom specialists, pushing custom items that can take anywhere up to 4 months to order in. What's more, the cost of these dresses... many retailers are quoting a minimum of £300 upwards, not including any alterations that may be needed (or sometimes the cost of booking an appointment to get to even try them on). And that's just the dress.
The latest research* I could find on this topic was ran in 2022 and even then, parents were set to spend an average of £764 on the total cost of a end of school summer prom for their child (god help anyone who had two children in the same school year!). With a whopping £533 of that spent on clothing, make up and hair alone.
Nearly half of these parents (46%) admit they couldn't afford the cost and were having to use credit cards to pay for the expenses, a debt which would take them months to pay off. So why do they do it? 84% of parents said that the pressure to create the kind of prom seen on TV meant costs had gone up and another 8 in 10 said proms just generally cost far more than they did five years ago. Sounds totally crazy for what is ultimately a glammed up school disco, right?!
What makes it worst is the context this is set against; the rising costs the average British consumer is experiencing from the cost of living crisis. The increased pressure on young adults driven by the expectations from social media. And to top if off the fact that despite living in on of the richest countries in the world, around 3 in 10 children live in poverty**. And so because of all this, 46% of parents feel guilty that they can't afford to give their child the prom experience they want.
And this is exactly the reason this is our blog topic this month. Not long being open and with this being our first 'prom season' we are already regularly seeing the impact of all this, from the girls we have visiting Diffuse Retail, looking for ways to access cheaper prom dress alternatives.
One heart breaking example being a mum who visited our store just the other day, with her daughter distraught in tears in the car because they had been prom dress shopping and found a dress she loved, only to discover it was far beyond their reach in terms of cost. Feeling embarrassed and worried she wouldn't be able to find another dress she would like and that would compare to those others would be wearing at her prom, she couldn't get out of the car and her poor mum was at a loss and felt riddled with guilt.
How sad is that?! The average 16-18 year olds (and their parents) probably have more than enough on their minds between exams and deciding what they want to do with ...urm... the rest of their lives, to not also have the added social pressure of spending a disproportionate amount on a dress, let's be honest, they'll only ever wear once.
We don't want this to continue being the case, and if anything this has continued to light the fire under our belly at Diffuse Retail to champion our core brand principles - offering access to high quality and great looking occasion wear, via flexible and affordable shopping options (purchasing new, renting for the event or buying pre-loved). We have loved helping the girls who come to shop prom dresses with us, light up and be able to feel excited without the guilt; with our formal occasion wear range starting anywhere from £100 to buy new and only £30 to rent for the event.
So spread the word and help your local teens join the #rentalrevolution when it comes to their end of year summer #promdress
*Source: Poll of 1000 parents with teenagers attending prom conducted by Censuswide May 2022
** Source: JRF: Child Poverty Rates
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