What is it with prom these days?





I spend a lot of time with the under 18 crowd.  
Mostly because we volunteer with a handful of really great High School kids at church.
This year, I have noticed a new trend I'm not quite sure I like.

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When I was in High School, being asked to prom was a simple question.
Circle yes or no on a handwritten note.
Only kidding, but it was a phone call or a quick conversation in the hall during passing periods.

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It seems to me that now, it's an elaborate plan.
Almost as elaborate as some engagements.
Did you know that it's now being called a promposal?
This company is offering their services to make your promposal a "legendary experience."

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This image came from an article in the Venice High School newspaper.  Here is a quote from the article that was written about creative ways to ask someone to prom:
"If you ask them to prom in a funny or memorable way, your chances of being turned down are slim."

The amount of work and planning that goes into asking a date to prom could make it difficult for someone to say no to a date they may not want to go on.

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Is it putting more pressure on the person asking to one up what other people are doing to ask their dates to prom?
Isn't asking someone to prom nerve wracking enough that now our kids are adding just one more thing to make it that much more stressful.

So promposal aside, this local mom took out a craigslist ad to find a prom date for her daughter and three of her friends.

The title says "Hot Male Teens 17-19 years old for Prom Date".

Here's the ad:

My daughter and her friends attend a small private school in Seattle. The Senior Prom is June 2nd. My husband and I are looking to hire four prom dates for my daughter and her three friends. All the gals are very good looking, trim, friendly, and fun. We can trade photos. The time commitment would be seven hours..5pm to midnight paid at $50 per hour. If you are taller than 6feet, good looking, fit and outgoing, please send your photo to me as soon as possible. You will be required to interview, if selected, you will also need to meet for a one hour strategy session and tux fitting in advance of prom night. All expenses will be paid by us, tux rental, pre-party at down town high rise condo, limo, Senior dinner, and prom. To be clear..all expenses paid, no compensation for interview or tux fitting, $350 for seven hours on Prom night.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kathy 

I heard about this ad this afternoon and am blown away.  Is this really the direction this milestone dance is heading in?  
I am interested to hear your thoughts.

8 comments

  1. I'm really, seriously thinking about home schooling my kids. Except I'm probably not smart enough to get them past the 5th grade.

    But maybe we should move to... somewhere... See? I can't even name a deserted place to live where my kids won't be subjected to things like this.

    I'm screwed.

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  2. Where I went to school we always did grand gestures to ask someone to a dance. Both in asking and answering and both boys and girls choice dances. That was do much fun thinking of fun ways to ask. I once got a guess who game board and printed off pages from my year book and glued them onto the faces and had clues so that the picture of me was the last one standing. I thought I was pretty clever. No one really just simply asked if you wanted to go to the dance. So this isn't really new to me. However, putting out a Craigslist ad is nuts. I wonder if her daughter knows she did that or if it was her idea?

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  3. Our oldest grandson whet to his first Prom this past weekend. His asking her was a big deal and I loved it. He took flowers, went into her class, wore a t-shirt he had made telling her how amazing she is and asked her to prom! I think it teaches young men that women worth the prom and marriage do not come from a quick phone call or asking at the lockers like a second thought. It takes time, thinking about it and it takes planing..all things most young men need to learn to someday be a good husband. It helps young men to understand how women are worth the time and effort if she is "the one" for the prom or someday for marriage. As for cost it was a few hundred not $1800.
    As for the ad....I am thinking those girls are about to die!! I know my grand daughters that age hate to have their parents oversea the dates so I guessing its a joke. And where I come from paying for a date is not a date..but you know where I am going with that one.
    Love the site!

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  4. I think asking in a big way to a big dance like Prom is not so bad. It can get out of hand though. where I grew up it was expected to ask like this for every dance. It would have been weird to call and ask someone over the phone or face to face. and from personal experience it did not lessen the chance of getting turned down. in some ways maybe it made it easier, because you can still ask in a big creative way and not talk face to face.
    I think the ad for a date is crazy and ridiculous. It's going way to far. I never went to Prom and really I'm not upset about it.

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  5. I think it's all crazy, both the expense and the dramatic ways of asking someone. Too much emphasis is put on this one dance... it's not a wedding or a lifetime commitment!

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  6. It is so fun and romantic in movies, but it would be tough in real life. I would hate to be a crazy shy guy or the girl who doesn't get picked!

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  7. I think it's cute, and fun, and flattering for the person, but it does seem to make things a lot more complicated than it needs to be. Maybe it's bringing chivalry back? That Craigslist ad is ridiculous! I hope that mom does a background check, if she's going to all that trouble. Seems really superficial to me, since she states all the girls are trim and the boys need to be taller than 6 ft. Sad.

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  8. I live in Utah. EVERY dance the boy or girl asks in a cleaver way. One girl had junker cars taken to her boys house and set on the lawn, "I'd die to go w/ you to Prom". I wonder how the cars got removed?

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