No longer novel, promposals are the new norm
Photo provided by Maggie Parks ('18)
Henry Traynor (’18) asks Maggie Parks (’18) to prom with an original stick sculpture, decorated with pictures of their relationship.
April 19, 2017
A boy walks into a band-room wearing a laurel and toga. With a vase of white flowers and trumpets sounding to announce his arrival, he unravels an elegant scroll and says “I decree, Athena Sackleh I want you Toga to prom with me.”
This, my friends, is how you prompose.
According to The Washington Post, the term “promposal” was first used by The Dallas Morning News in 2001. It then went mainstream from 2002-2005 and viral since 2007. Just by searching #promposal into Twitter or Instagram, over 900,000 results will pop up.
How do you ask in a creative way? Think about what the other person likes.
“I knew her favorite movie is Animal House, and one of the scenes in [Animal House] is when they start chanting ‘toga, toga, toga’ and everybody just goes wild. She’s also Greek so…toga works,” Liam Fox (’18) said.
Fox is very aware of the humiliation that may come with a public promposal.
“I knew she was going to say yes, but I know I embarrassed her – like a lot – in front of the whole class,” Fox said.
Liam Fox (’18) uses a Greek toga to prompose to Athena Sackleh (’18).
Some, like Kaleigh Brown (’17), like to take a backseat to the proposals.
“I love when other people do big, public promposals so I can watch, but personally I’d prefer something small and private,” Brown said.
Winston Harden (’17) took a different approach to asking Carly Weaver (’17).
“He came over for dinner at my house,” Weaver said. “After we had eaten and talked with my parents for a while, he asked me to help him with something in his car.” Harden then came out carrying a balloon with the famous owl from Harry Potter, Hedwig, drawn on. Attached was a scroll asking Weaver to prom.
“I’m a super big Harry Potter nerd, so I think he looked some things up or consulted in his sister,” Weaver said.
There does seem to be one common theme with promposals: the boys are always doing the asking.
“That’s the way it always is, I mean that’s what’s expected,” Fox (’18) said. “It’s expected boys propose, like when they want to get married, so it’s expected that boys ask the girls to the dance.”
Math teacher Robert Aitken shares a similar view. “I’m a little old school, so I think the guy should always ask the girl,” Aitken said.
”I feel like [boys] feel like they’re obligated to. I actually was planning on doing it first, so I’ll have to plan something too,” Weaver said.
Jimm Danielczyk (’18) uses a Swedish Fish pun to woo Sam Schaefer (’18) to prom.
