The season of buying countless roses and candy and creating cheesy posters has thankfully come to a close at UC High now that Prom has passed. Prom proposals have been evolving with each passing year, becoming either cute and sentimental or just tacky and embarrassing.

   According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a Promposal is defined as an invitation to be someone’s date to a school Prom, especially creating one staged to be filmed for others to view (oed.com). 

   For years, Promposals have become a very big part of high school culture. After witnessing many promposals each year, many students are excited to be asked to their Senior Prom one day, only to be disappointed. Growing up, many young people watch very romantic movies. Some of these films have Prom scenes, such as Pretty in Pink and 10 Things I Hate About You, further creating high expectations. People fantasize about that special romantic feeling and wish that someday someone would ask to be their Prom date from the football field singing “I Love You Baby” by Frank Sinatra, but in reality, nothing is ever like the movies. 

   Now in the twentieth century as social media is evolving, these proposals are streamed on countless platforms, such as Tiktok, Instagram, and Snapchat. Because Promposals are typically recorded, many can be viewed on these platforms as cute romantic gestures, but some do not turn out the way that they were intended. We can assume that people only post the good outcomes that come with being asked to a special occasion. Unfortunately for those who do a live post, some do end up with rejection and regret at the end of the day.

   Student quote about one that failed. I didn’t let a kid do one in my class one year because I knew the girl would say no. I couldn’t bear seeing him rejected.

   Most teenagers do not think of “going all out” just to ask their crush or partner to a high school dance. Especially if someone might not have enough time to put in a lot of effort to create one. Their ideas may be rushed, leading them to quickly put something together that ends up sloppy or corny. In that case, it’s better to not do one at all.

   Certain Promposals are very tacky and cheesy. While searching ‘promposals’ on Google, you will find very odd ideas such as spelling out p-r-o-m with many McDonald’s fries, putting countless numbers of sticky notes onto someone’s car, or even being as cheesy as to write ‘i know this might be cheesy… but Prom?’ on the inside of a cheese pizza box. These Promposals don’t take much time and it may be the thought that counts, but people will be left to pick up the mess afterwards and/or be stuck with eating it all, not making it as romantic as they wished.

   Not all Promposals are the same. Some are much more thoughtful and take more time, while some may be simpler and unmemorable. Either way, they are not all they’re cracked up to be.