Tess McMullin ’18: With the end of the school year quickly approaching, there is one thing on many students’ minds- prom. Traditionally, the idea of prom constitutes girls searching for the perfect dress and booking hair appointments months ahead, leaving the boys to think of clever ways to ask their potential date to prom.
One of the most common methods of “promposals” at Episcopal involves a poster board, colorful markers, and a bouquet of flowers. The poster often includes an inside joke between the askee and the the asker or a play on words involving their names, all equally funny, heartwarming, and cute. When asked why boys do this, prom veteran Ali Rushton ‘15 said “I’m not really sure why guys make posters, but I think it’s better to have it written out so they [the girls] can see it instead of the guy saying it, which would be kind of awkward.”
Photo Courtesy of Nina Pagano ’16
Remember though, it is 2015 and there is no rule stating that the boy must be the one to ask someone to prom. Girls have every right to ask whoever they please to prom. Many girls are taking advantage of this, “One of my friends asked a guy this year and I thought it was actually cool. It’s definitely really different than a normal prom asking but I thought it was interesting.” says Rushton. Drew Hopkins ‘16 said “If a girl asked me, I would be surprised, but I would accept. It may not be tradition but sometimes things change.”
However, with the fear of rejection in mind, many result to asking their dates over text message. “I definitely think when someone asks over text it’s weird. I think something public or private at a dinner or something, or with friends is also really nice,” said Rushton. She continued saying, “Asking someone over text is not really that special, but I wouldn’t mind if someone asked me over text. Some people are more comfortable asking over text ‘would u go to prom with me?’ just to see if they would actually say yes before they ask in person and then they ask them more publicly.” Grace Norley ‘16 emphasized that, “A more extravagant promposal will almost guarantee a “yes,” from a prospective date.”
Not everyone follows the crowd, however, and people popping the question often opt for a more creative and exciting promposal. Norley recalled a creative prom asking from three years ago when Patrick Espe ‘14 asked Maria Burke ‘14 my freshman year explaining that, “He got wheeled into her classroom by
a “FedEx delivery man” and Maria had to sign for the package, he then popped out of the box holding a sign that said Prom?” Ali Rushton also remembered a unique asking saying, “The most creative promposal that I have seen was when someone hung a flag on the flagpole that said “Prom?” and he was standing near the flag pole with flowers. It was so cute and creative.” Norley added, “You and your date will never forget a creative promposal, and it will make the actual night of prom more enjoyable and interesting.”