In our society, what is formal? Very little. On average, clothing, language, behavior -- all is very informal. Individuals who are formal (polite, inoffensive, organized) in their daily dealings with people are often looked upon as boring.

我们这个社会，有什么是完全中规中矩的呢？很少。衣着，语言和举止，都非常随意。那些非常正统古板的人（他们彬彬有礼，不触犯他人，中规中矩）在平时接人待物上总让他人觉得无趣。

Yet in certain situations, individuals play with the concept of formality not truly to achieve respectfulness and order but because it becomes fashionable to do so.

在一些特殊场合，人们表现的非常正式。然而他们这样做并不是为了获得尊重和秩序，而是觉得这样做很时尚。

While a prom may seem, on the surface, like a fun opportunity to behave formally, it is actually a flowery version of Halloween.

毕业舞会表面上看起来似乎是个表现正式举止的不错机会，其实不过是万圣节另一个花哨的版本罢了。

On the occasion of the spring prom, we see flowering youth taking on the formalities of "adult". Fine dress (most of the students who attend the senior prom rent expensive tuxedoes) or purchase high quality suits or gowns for the occasion),

在春季举行的毕业舞会上，打扮花哨的年轻人开始扮演成人角色，他们穿上华美的衣服(很多参加高中毕业舞会的学生或租用昂贵的晚礼服，或买高档西服和连衣裙，

careful makeup (spending hours in front of a mirror or at a hair salon in order to look just right), fancy toys (limousines line the streets outside of dance halls on the night of the prom) all become part of being an adult.

精致的妆容(为了更好看她们花好几小时在镜前化妆或是去美发沙龙做头发), ，漂亮的玩意儿（毕业舞会当晚，大厅外面停放许多豪车), 都成了他们跨入成年的一部分。

In many ways, adults in society should examine their own behavior for wrongly displaying these types of objects as being "adult" to younger people.

成年人应该在很多方面重新审视自己某些举止行为给年轻人带来的误导，让他们以为展现这些就是"成年”。

In our society we have a wrong idea of what adulthood actually is. It has always been my understanding that adulthood and maturity are not based upon one's ability to hold a cigarette in a certain way or tie a bow tie.

我们对成年的真谛有一种误读。我个人认为，成年和成熟并不以一个人是否能用一种特定姿势夹烟或是系领结。

Adulthood comes with understanding of one's place in the universe; it comes with the knowledge of how to interact with our fellow human beings; it comes with the ability to take responsibility for one's own actions -- whether good or bad.

成年意味着一个人懂得自己在茫茫宇宙占据一席之地; 学到了如何与其他人交往的技巧; 学会为自己或好或坏的行为去负责任。