Overview

The date, the gown, the tux, the theme, the corsage. Everyone remembers the prom. For many teenagers the prom is the highlight of their high school career, seen as the rite of passage from adolescence to adulthood. Amy Best interview countless teens about their prom experiences, and she looks at popular media to understand today's teens. She finds that with the rising purchasing power of youth culture, the prom is now an industry unto itself with its own magazines, films, clothing, accessories and services. Amy Best shows us that, while the prom is often trivialized, most kids take the prom seriously. The prom is a space where kids work through their understanding of authority, social class, gender norms and multicultural schooling. Proms are often the sight of public and personal struggle, especially for gay teens and inter-racial couples, who are often excluded from the prom. Proms are more than just pictures and puffed sleeves - they are a mythic part of youth culture and, for better or worse, will always be a night to remember.

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9780415924283

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Reviews

A stunning example of cultural analysis that both affirms and engages the experiences of young people in a society that rarely allows them to speak or represent themselves. In this brilliant work, Best reinvents how prom night is constituted as a site of struggle, resistance, and power. This is an important book and should be read by anyone concerned about youth and the crisis of democracy.

Author Information

Best, Amy L.

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