The Promposal

Art+credits+to+Erika+Woo%21

Art credits to Erika Woo!

Sanjana Sharma ‘18

As the flowers blossom and the warm weather teases, the boys and girls of Ridge are locked inside their homes, deciding how to creatively ask that special someone to be their prom date.

All students feel pressured on who to ask or if they will even get asked. Some students feel that if they don’t go with someone, prom will not be as fun or special. Others worry about being a laughingstock if the person they ask denies their “promposal.” However, this is surely not the case.

Anusha Sidarrmana’ 17 shares, “I didn’t have a date for my junior prom, but I still had so much fun and am certainly glad that I went. Lots of my friends didn’t have dates either, so we all had a blast together. We literally danced like nobody was watching!” Like Anusha, there are many students who won’t have a date to prom, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t make cheerful memories. After all, prom is a time to celebrate and treat oneself after a whole year of rigorous academics.

The actual proposals students create to ask their date to prom is a phenomenon termed a “promposal.” Typically, the student will use a poster with a punny quote to ask their date. Some students have dared to take it a step further by playing a song on the guitar or decorating their date’s car to truly accentuate their love. To take it to the ceiling, students have even decorated the front lawn of their potential date! And, of course, the flowers and mini-photoshoot are the basic necessities.

Promposals have taken place in the classroom, the media center, a student’s house or even where the student works. Mrs. Kaltenbach recalls, “It is really nice to get to see the promposals happen in the classroom, but students normally check with teachers first to make sure that no student gets embarrassed and the class doesn’t get disrupted.” Clearly, the student planning the promposal has a lot on his or her plate.

Promposal season means that prom is consistently a topic of discussion among social circles and friend groups, which can be annoying to other students who may not be attending prom or who are still biting their nails wondering if they will be asked.

Diego Mendez Lopez’ 18 reflects on the behind-the-scenes process of his promposal to his date: “I knew whom I wanted to ask for months and really hoped she would agree. I told my friends and they also thought she would agree. I think my friends might’ve dropped some subtle hints that I would ask her, but it’s okay because in the end she said ‘yes’ and I was so happy. I juggled with what to put on the poster, but finally decided to make it tennis-themed because it’s the sport we both play and enjoy following.” Although the promposal was successful, it was still quite a deliberate process and the danger of friends dropping hints can be embarrassing and risky.

But let’s take a journey outside of Ridge High School. According to Statista’s study on the cost of promposals, consumers in the Northeastern region of the United States spend an average of $431 on promposals. To put this into perspective, the money could have easily been donated towards charity or secured for a college education. Remember, the promposal is only one cost of prom. The additional costs of the tickets, dress, food, makeup, limo, and potential after-prom party still remain after the promposal, and will, without a doubt, be massive.

Although promposals are thrilling and adorable, they can be a hassle and quite risky. While asking someone to prom, please be safe and respectful of others. If you end up without a date in time for prom, don’t worry. Just enjoy, celebrate, and stay safe!