Emma Renchin, Staff Writer

As prom season is barreling towards us, full speed ahead, the pressure of the perfect promposal can plague many prom-goers’ thoughts. Whether it be a sweet and simple promposal, or an extravagant one, there are unforeseen expectations that the receiver of said promposal holds. The promposal asker is expected to plan and execute a perfect proposal. Even though there is no such thing as a perfect promposal. No matter how original the proposal may be, chances are it has already been done, and it will probably be outdone by another promposal. There are many issues that are created through the expectations held over how one is asked to a school dance.
One of the issues that arises is the pressure surrounding the promposal. I believe that the pressure surrounding the proposal is unnecessary. The person responsible for asking should not have to worry about the excess pressure behind the proposal. Some of the pressure is from their friends, or even from the person that they are asking.
Another way pressure can take its toll is how it affects the receiver. Typically the boy asks the girl to prom. In some situations, the girls can be put into an awkward or uncomfortable position. They may feel inclined to say yes due to the manner of the proposal. I think that there should not be this expectation that if you are asked to prom, that you have to say yes. There should be a polite and acceptable way for someone to turn down a promposal, without being ridiculed for doing so.
Many prom-goers may expect a very extravagant and over the top proposal to prom. The expectations held can create a sense of insecurity in how their partner or date plans on asking. People that do not come from the same class of wealth as other students may not be able to pull off such an extravagant action. The standards that people hold over a promposal create an unfair bias towards people with good intentions. People that come from varying wealth can struggle with executing what they wish to do. The extravagance behind some promposals seems very absurd in my opinion.
There is a lot of thought and planning behind going to prom, not including planning how you may ask someone. You have to decide what to wear, who you are going with, how you are getting places and that isn’t the half of what you’ll consider in planning for prom. Dresses can cost upwards of 600 dollars. Buying and renting a tuxedo can cost you 200 dollars. Then there is getting your hair, nails and makeup done. However, these things can be minimized in price by shopping smart, or doing things at home. In most cases the girls dream of the perfect prom, and want everything to be flawless. There is already an increasing amount of stress and planning behind just the night of prom itself. Why add more by creating unnecessary pressure to a day meant for fun? Students should be able to enjoy the night of prom, without the added worry of organizing a promposal that costs an arm and a leg or a public rejection.