School prom costs are in hundreds
Stretch limousines, catwalk dresses and hours in a beauty salon can soon add up to hundreds of pounds which can be a drain on the average families finances.
For parents of girls, the Prom night bill could well top £370, while for boys it’s likely to be at least £80.
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“The boys often go to town on their outfits as much as the girls,” Sam added.
“We have had them buying corsages and one boy even wore a pink suit one year!”
PROM PRICES (GIRLS)
Dress £230 upwards
Hair £80 (extensions)
Nails £20
Shoes £20-plus
Ticket £20
TOTAL: £370
PROM PRICES (BOYS)
Suit (to hire) £30
Waistcoat hire £5
Shoe hire £15
Haircut £10
Ticket £20
TOTAL: £80
Now. I appreciate that these costs are not necessarily representative (£230 upwards for a dress? Hair extensions as a matter of course??) but I think that what they are representative of is the difference in cost for women to look socially acceptable in formal situations than men - including the workplace. I know some men will choose to wear designer labels or tailored suits while some women will choose a more minimalist and/or cheaper wardrobe (and, say, grow their hair instead of getting extensions!), but I think that on average there is a difference in how much it costs for a working woman to make herself presentable to clients and bosses than for men, and the difference in these prom expenses is an early indication of that. The boys may well "go to town on their outfits as much as girls", but it no doubt costs them a lot less to do so.
