Every spring, prom is always the biggest topic of conversation. Talk of extravagant promposals, $200 dresses, expensive dinner reservations and who is going to be in whose prom group flood the school. But what is it about prom that makes it such a big deal?

Is it shopping for the perfect expensive dress, covered in tacky rhinestones? Is it getting the “perfect promposal”, when the guy you’ve had a crush on all year is supposed to get down on one knee with a red rose and ask you? How about getting together with your friends and standing in awkwardly posed positions while you struggle to look at the right camera because each parent is trying to capture the perfect picture for the “most important night of a highschoolers life?” Or maybe, it’s the actual dance itself that everyone is craving. Hundreds of kids in a big ballroom basically having sex with their clothes on while awful rap and hit music plays in the background. What a lovely event.

Not only is prom a ridiculous and expensive ordeal, it’s also the breeding ground for an insane amount of drama every prom season. Two girls bought the same dress, the guy some girl wanted to ask her didn’t, people being exclusive about their prom groups, someone got turned down… Prom is a mess of pointless drama.

In spite of all of prom’s messes, somehow it’s still prominent in each school, and has been for decades. There must be something exciting and wonderful about this shallow and expensive event.

Prom has been a mess since the late 1800s, although back then, it was much more of an extravagant event. Picture an orchestra playing classical music with everyone ballroom dancing (not grinding) in beautiful dresses (without rhinestones) and tuxedos (that weren’t rented from the mall). Back when high schoolers could actually stay classy, when it was called a promenade, when there was no trashy music and dance moves, maybe prom could have been an extravagant event. But today? No way, not with the way teenagers are now.

For my Senior Prom 2014, lots of my classmates will be spending a small fortune on dresses, dinner, hair and nails. They’ll be worrying about dates and making everything just right. A bunch of girls will go home crying (because it’s not prom without a crying girl in every group), and one of them will get too drunk and have to leave the dance (just like last year). However, this year, I won’t be caught dead at the most stupid high school event of the year. Instead, I’ll be laying in bed watching Netflix, because let’s be honest, anything is better than prom.