The Illusion of Prom Perfection
Prom Night Stress
 Parents
should encourage hobbies and other skills, and downplay the importance
of appearance, says Jennifer Dyl, PhD, a child psychologist at Bradley
Hospital. To alleviate the pressure of finding a prom date, she
suggests that parents should convey to teens that it can be just
as much fun (if not more fun) to attend the prom with a group of
friends.
“Parents should continually give girls positive feedback on
aspects of themselves unrelated to appearance and dress size”,
says Dyl. “However, if daughters begin to obsess about dress
size, or needing to look ‘perfect’ for the prom, it may
help to remind them that the images in teen magazines are not real,
and tricks such as airbrushing are marketing techniques used to
sell dresses and cosmetics.”
She also suggests challenging the rigid, “all-or-none thinking”
behind the idea that every detail of the prom must be perfect. Ask
teens what their happiest memories in life have been so far. Most
likely it was during spontaneous events that weren’t planned
in minute detail.
Don't stress out: More about teens
and stress
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