Every year, schools all over first world countries cause pain, angst and heartache. Materialistic, superficial and enforcing of all the negative factors of society, “Prom” is often strongly promoted by the schooling system. After years of half-taught but well intended lessons on self confidence and the importance of individuality within the modern day world, it’s somewhat of a mixed message.

Whilst I enjoy dressing up for special occasions, messing around with new makeup and painting my nails, as a 21st century woman, that is not the be-all and end-all of my interests. Far from it. In my spare time, alongside blogging and revising, I love nothing more than to curl up with Wonders of the Solar System by Brian Cox or The Origin of the Species by Charles Darwin.

I find prom personally insulting.

Revolving around the concept that looks are one’s main and only asset as a young woman, the fact that the education system actively encourage and endorse something as shallow and narcissistic as it proves to be never fails to astounds me.

As I’ve mentioned in my last blog post Should Single-Sex Schools be Banned?, there are no boys attending the event at my school-which doesn’t give me much of an insight into the unique pressures placed on the male of the species. But of course, it doesn’t take a great amount of emotional intelligence to gather that the occasion must place a huge strain on them too: the stress of asking a partner, the angst of the outcasts struggling to find a date.

I have no objection towards the concept of celebrating the end of high school-but must it be so extravagant? So looks-orientated? So earth-shatteringly vapid?

This morning in class, all I could hear from every direction were the fragments of manic chatter over deciding how much to spend on a limousine; shortly followed by large amounts of competitive bitching.

“I bet Megan will look fucking ugly. Can you believe that red dress she’s wearing? Is she trying to be a cheap whore?”

“Ella won’t find a dress to fit into. Fat fucking pig.”

“I bet you Dani won’t get laid until she’s, like, 25. Would anyone really want to fuck someone like her? She should really hold out for a blind alcoholic, because that’s the best fucking change she has.”

And then there are the young people like myself, not born into particularly affluent families-tested by society to prove that we are worthy of social affection.

But for what purpose?

The education system should be just that-saved for intellectualism and the challenging of conventional norms.

The last thing it should be is a fashion parade.