New thoughts about
the Prom

According to a recent eSPIN survey that asked nearly 1,000 teens to craft the "new prom rules," the overwhelming majority of teens (93%) think that guys should open the car door for their dates, and most (59%) think that the guy should foot the bill for prom tickets.

Most teens (61%) think that the guy should always ask the girl to prom, or at least that a girl asking a guy is still "kind of weird."

But traditional doesn't always mean narrow-minded. Most teens (80%) think same-sex couples should be allowed at prom, and most (68%) think it's perfectly fine to go to prom by yourself.

In fact, in picking a "brand-new prom rule" to impart on the teenage masses, most teens (48%) agreed that it should be totally acceptable to go to the prom stag. The 2nd most popular response, getting 23% of the vote, was that "prom should be mandatory for all seniors."

And tradition is still no match for the allure of the red carpet. Most girls want their dresses to be "glamorous" (56%); their dates (no surprise) prefer them to wear a "sexy" dress (56%). "Traditional" dresses only garnered 8% of the vote.

Other teen-ordained prom rules:

• Girls should get their dresses before they even secure a prom date. Teens of both genders decree: start looking for a dress 2 months before prom (36%) and a date one month after that (33%).
• If you can't get a date, just go by yourself (41%) - it's better than going with someone you don't know that well (31%) or skipping prom altogether (15%).
• Frugal is the new sexy - teens say that $200 is the proper amount for both girls (18%) and guys (22%) to spend on each of their prom looks.
• Sorry, Mom and Dad - 68% of teens say you're responsible for coughing up at least half of their prom expenses. And forget about being part of the festivities - 68% of teens want you to "take some photos before prom and then disappear."
• Who says teen boys aren't romantics? 59% think it's proper to dance all of the slow songs with their dates. (Only 40% of teen girls agree.)