Promposals: Then & Now

Promposals: Then & Now

Bella Mendez

Prom can be a stressful time where dresses are bought, tuxes are rented, dates are found and promposals are created.  According to Mr. Fortmann promposals were not a thing until the show Laguna Beach aired on MTV in 2004.  The show Laguna Beach documents the lives of high school students.  Promposal is defined as an elaborately staged request to be someone’s date to a prom.

Mr. Hirtz said “Boys always asked girls in person or with a phone call” and Mrs. Calteux said “When I was in school, people would ask through some sort of planned surprise. A lot of “prom-posals” involved big poster boards with clever sayings or inside jokes.”  Mrs. Calteux had her own experience with a promposal she said “In high school, I was on the dance team. My boyfriend Junior year had some of our mutual friends write out “PROM?” with poms and took me up to the balcony of the gym to ask.”

It has not been until lately that promposals have included things like clothing or jewelry or some type of production.  Many teachers agree that promposals are becoming very over the top Mr. Hirtz says “Your going to prom…not getting married!”  Though asking a girl to prom has always been stressful promposals can be very stressful especially for the guys who have to create the unique promposals.  Guys these days feel the pressure to impress especially with the knowledge that these promposals will most likely end up on social media.  Mr. Hirtz said “I feel bad for the boys these days that need to come up with elaborate plans to ask someone to prom.  It is a lot of pressure, costs money, people are there taking pictures, etc” and Mrs. Calteux said “I think boys have probably always felt pressured to ask girls out in general! Now, with social media, I feel like there could be even more pressure because of the likelihood that the prom-posal will be posted for everyone to see. (Poor boys!)” Now that promposals have become a big thing the pressure is on so Sophomores start thinking for next year.