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The BBC has recently released a very interesting report on the luxurious business of school proms. School proms have become teenagers' version of Cinderella's ball, and looking great has become their strongest religion.

According to the report, all parents adhere to this religion as well, at least from a financial point of view, by turning their daughters into little Cinderellas. The question is though - is this healthy? Is this the right parental attitude to adopt? Should parents go with the flow and support the obsession their children have with looking good and allow them to become superficial objects of attraction?

Celebrating the end of school is really about celebrating years of achievement and opening another chapter. School proms almost represent a rite of passage to adult life, a moment when having fun, remembering good moments and celebrating years of being together should be prioritized over physical obsession.

Our materialistic society cannot be more exemplified than through this million-pound industry of school proms, in fact generating 31 million pounds per year. It is obviously good news for the economy, but is it good for our society? Is it healthy to focus so much on looks? Teenagers are however not to blame here, they are not yet adults at this stage and their actions are really the product of our own societal values. But the parents who allow this to happen, whether or not taken by their peer pressure, is the serious issue here. According to the report, parents spend on average 500 pounds on their child to concoct the perfect school prom look. With young teenagers who think it is normal to need at least 500 pounds to spend on themselves for one single night in order to look their best - what kind of message is the older generation giving to the younger one?

The end of school is a key moment for these teenagers - they are about to enter the next phase of their lives and turn into adults, and this is what their rite of passage focuses on - beauty. Is this the kind of message society should give to its children? Yes, it is great to feel good about one's physical appearance, but why make it such a haunting obsession?

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