When I graduated from high school in 2014, my friends and I had two things on our minds: prom and college. On the night of prom our social network statuses all contained joyful messages such as "OMG! Had such a great night at prom," "After party was too lit, wish we could do it over again," "Gonna miss being around my friends."
A mere two years later, the messages posted and sent by soon-to-be college students have changed drastically. Not only the messages, but also the entire aesthetic of prom has been altered, and I'm not even sure why people go to prom anymore. Prom was created to be the extravagant ending to high school, where seniors would go to gather and share their last moments with their friends. Now, prom has become a symbol for individual "slaying" rather than collective fun, and in my opinion, yet another way for people of color to compete with one another and belittle each other.
When I graduated, my friends and I all got a limo together and took group pictures. This year, every prom photo has featured an individual or a couple posing in front of a pricey foreign vehicle, showing just how much money they're willing to spend on this one night.
On the evening on June 7, Facebook was going wild over a prom photo posted by an 8th grader from Brooklyn, NY named Taleah Lall. Captioned "Continue stepping in blood & imma show y'all what y'all can't afford," Lall's photo quickly went viral and generated thousands of responses.
"Tbh, my dress, shoes and Hair cost way more than that😭 it just upsets me the way she's flaunting it😕 When you're actually wealthy there's no need to flaunt it, you just got it like that. All this is a broke Man's tendency. Smh"
"You know she had to show out cuz she ain't making it to her 12th grade graduation"
The comments above are just two of the many made about Taleah, her $700 designer prom dress and $1400 Louboutin pumps. Many other people commented about Lall's age, and how her 30-inch virgin weave made her look like a grown woman, and she is only 13. In response to these comments Lall made statements like "yall b*****s & n****s is bums!"
The problem with Taleah Lall's prom appearance is not the amount of money that she spent on her ensemble, the length of her weave, or how much older she looks. The issue with this is that her young age and high price tags were used as vehicles to belittle others, at a time when people are supposed to be being celebrated. Lall may not be to blame for this though, as even high school students posted similar photos holding up their feet to show off their red bottoms with captions implying that others are broke.
Many of these same students will be going off to college next year looking for FAFSA to cover all of their tuition expenses. It is imperative that as young people of color we learn to prioritize and practice self love. Instead of putting people down for wearing shoes from DSW (like I did for prom), we need to celebrate one another for making it through yet another stage of education.
Prom season is my favorite time of year because it reminds me of the obstacle I overcame called high school, which is exactly what graduates should be doing. Young people, please come together, reflect on the difficult times, and celebrate one another!
(This article was in no way intended to bash Taleah. She, as well as the other prom attendees, looked absolutely beautiful.)
