Teens Are Spending Thousands On Prom So They Can Look Cool On Instagram

Teenagers are apparently spending more money on prom than ever before to make sure they're impressing their friends on Facebook and other sites.

With the rise of Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, high schoolers know the dance will be remembered for more than just one night, because everyone will be looking for validation on social media long after the lights go up in the ballroom.

Check out the hashtags some teens are using in order to get more views on their prom photos. They're hoping people are searching for these tags, and will see their photos (then 'like' them):

Then there's the money.

Olivia Perrault, a senior at St. John's Prep in Astoria, spoke to The New York Post about her prom, which was held at The Pierre a few weeks ago.

Perrault spent over $4,000 on prom night, from the shoes to her transportation.

Here's how the costs broke down (as per The New York Post):

• $700 for a cut, highlights, and hairstyle from the Louis Licari salon on Fifth Avenue.
• $100 for her share in a Mercedes S550 - her ride to prom with her date and a friend.
• A whopping $3,000 on Swarovski crystal-encrusted Louboutins.

That doesn't include the cost of her dress, which wasn't mentioned.

But even for those who weren't advertising how much money they spent, it was clear that everyone cared about looking flawless on social media.

Amy Perez, a high school senior in the Bronx, says she got a job last year just to be able to commission a custom gown because she didn't want to run the risk of wearing the same dress as anyone else in her class.

Perez also suspects her "Instagram is gonna blow up" when she uploads her prom pics.

In order to make sure two girls don't show up to prom wearing the same dress, students have taken initiative to create "Prom Dress" Facebook groups so girls can post photos of their dresses ahead of time. This has been going on for a few years and are taken as serious as bridal gowns on wedding days - no boys allowed in those groups.

We did a quick search for #prom and #promdress on Instagram, just to see what people were posting.

This user made sure to get lots of pictures wearing her dress:

There were tons of couples photos, of course:

Because even the guys are in on the game, shelling out big bucks for Movado watches and designer sunglasses.

For Perrault, it was all worth it when one of her photos got 143 'likes' on Instagram.

"It's a great feeling," she was quoted saying.