With prom season quickly approaching, the girls are searching for dresses, scheduling hair appointments, and getting their nails done, while the boys are getting tuxedos and buying corsages. Teenagers are deciding who to sit with, who to take pictures with, and where to go afterwards. On top of all this, people are also deciding who their potential dates are—arguably the most nerve-wracking part of the entire prom experience.
Asking someone to prom does not only make one anxious, but also requires some creativity. Traditionally, the responsibility falls upon the boys to do the asking. Along with choosing who they want to go with—which can range anywhere from a girlfriend to friend to a girl they just met—they also must devise a way to invite them. While some girls like the more extravagant invites, others appreciate the simplest of proposals.
But there are some girls who do decide to ask a boy to prom. While it’s not common, it is ambitious. Not only are they accepting the possible rejection, but they are putting a modern-spin on a classic prom invite, since a girl asking a boy to prom was extremely rare years ago. But, as time goes on, more and more girls may begin to do the asking—something the boys may appreciate, since it takes the pressure off of them and puts it on their dates.
Despite who’s asking, proposals can vary—from the classic invite of simply saying “will you go to prom with me?” to writing on someone’s car. While some people keep it simple, others put in a little extra effort. Caleb Cofsky made multiple signs and put them along Emma Comiskey’s street leading up to her house, reading “Emma, will you go to prom with me?” Undoubtedly one of the more unique ways to ask someone, others also came up with creative ideas—such as how Matt Johnson invited Kayla Flynn. Catching her off-guard before one of her tennis matches, Johnson surprised Flynn by tossing her a tennis ball with the one-worded question “Prom?” written across it. Both girls accepted the invites, and Flynn said, ”I honestly wasn’t expecting it and at first I just threw the ball back to him, but once I saw the writing I was really excited.”
While these boys all asked girls who said yes, others aren’t so lucky. Inviting someone to prom requires someone to put themselves out on a limb, while still appearing confident, and risk getting rejected—reasons varying from “I’m not going to prom” to “I already have a date.” No matter what the reason, rejection hurts and the fear of getting turned down is a major reason why people must pick their potential dates so carefully—everybody wants to avoid rejection if possible.
Despite the possibility of rejection, most are able to overcome their fears and find a creative way to invite the perfect date to prom. Once dates are asked, dresses are hemmed, and ties are bought, everybody is ready to go to the prom—putting the potential awkwardness, fear of rejection, and pressure of inviting a date behind them.
