Stress of the Dress

About a month before the completely overrated event that is Prom, my mother and I decided we were going to make my dress. We went out, bought the fabric, and for the next couple weeks, the fabric literally sat in my mother's office, waiting to be sewn into a beautiful dress. Nothing happened to it until last weekend, where mom and I nearly went insane trying to make a prom dress. On Monday, we finally decided it would be in the best interest of our mental health to just go out and find a dress. And luck was on our side when we found the PERFECT dress in Dillard's. Now I don't have to worry about creating a dress, and just focus on the many other aspects of getting ready for Senior Prom such as....tanning and not getting too sun-burnt while doing it, finding enough money for all of the expenses of looking good, nail appointments, hair appointments, accessories, and trying to cut calories to somehow I can look thinner in my dress.
I wonder when Prom became such a big deal? I know that my parents and many other adults reminisce about their high school glory days, in which Prom is associated. Maybe all the effort and money put into one's prom is an investment or some kind of assurance that they will have no regrets when they become a reminiscing adult, and they will have only sweet, blissful memories of Prom.
Maybe making Prom a big deal is a government conspiracy! They put the glamour of high school dances into the media, so when Prom rolls around people are willing to spend X amount of dollars, and ultimately stimulate the struggling economy!
In any case, why am I putting so much effort into my Prom? Honestly...I have no idea.