Dates, dresses, planning and many logistics are involved in attending a dance, and all of these create pressure to have the perfect night.
Homecoming is supposed to be a night where students can relax and enjoy the dance floor, but all the stress to make it a perfect night often outweighs the school spirit.
As part of homecoming preparations, many appointments are made, such as nails, hair, alterations and even spray tans, and the combined total ends up being hundreds of dollars. This can lead students to feel stressed about affording all these standard appointments. Additionally, finding the time to not only book them but attend them, while balancing sports, school and homework, is stressful in itself. Making these appointments demonstrates the distress of achieving the “perfect look,” which creates a culture of comparison as people feel pressure to present the best version of themselves to their friends, peers and dates.
Finding a date adds pressure because, while some people go with friends, there’s a strong social expectation that someone should bring a date. While this is not the case for every student, it is propelled when individual friends bring dates. Especially, if one is attending the dance in a big group, one does not want to be the “outlier” without one.
Capturing memories is another important part of any dance, and homecoming is no exception. Before, during and after the dance, students are always taking pictures. The pressure to get that “picture-perfect” photo for social media is common among students. They worry more about their photos than having fun, and some students can only fully enjoy the dance once they know their photos meet their standards.
While the dance is supposed to bring the school together, most students typically stick with their fixed groups. Yes, they may interact with other community members, but it is not for most of the dance. So, while the school physically comes together, there are no activities, besides dancing, that facilitate bonding.
The culture of comparison facilitated through the stress of appearances and social media takes away from the important part of a dance: building community. While students enjoy the dance, the preparations highlight how much emphasis is placed on perfection instead of school spirit. Meaning, there needs to be more of a focus on building relationships than logistics.
