Homecoming is a stressful time, girls have to pick out their perfect dress, and boys get suited up for the big day. There is also stress revolving around various aspects of Homecoming like who to bring and how to ask. As well as questions like; should the girls ask or the guys and how should they ask arise?

The debate on whether the girl or the guy should ask each other to the dance has been a debate for many years. It has been a tradition for guys to ask the girl on a generic basis, but is it their obligation? Some think that girls could do it just as easily and it would be equally if, not more, appreciated by the guy. Regarding homecoming, some schools have chosen a Sadie Hawkins approach relating to who should ask who. 

The Sadie Hawkins dance is named after the Li’l Abner comic strip character Sadie Hawkins, created by cartoonist Al Capp. In the strip, Sadie Hawkins Day fell on a given day in November. The unmarried women of Dogpatch got to chase the bachelors and “marry up” with the ones that they caught. The event was introduced in a daily strip that ran on November 15, 1937. By 1939, Sadie Hawkins events were held at over 200 colleges, according to Life Magazine. This nearly offensive comic strip eventually morphed into a girl’s choice dance where women invite men, instead of feeling like they have to wait to be asked by a guy. 

Sadie Hawkins-themed dances could differ drastically for prom because more often than not, guys ask girls to prom. People are now realizing this rule is quite heteronormative. Added on to that, relationships are not always hetero, so it is not just about guys asking girls or girls asking the guy. 

“It is like a double standard and outdated that men have to be the ones to always ask the girl,” senior Sydney Beringer says.

Nowadays, with the stress of couples trying to figure out who should ask who without actually asking each other, there is also the burden of how to ask. Since the early 2000’s, homecoming signs have become more popular every year. Although initially going by the term “PROMposal”, creative signs are also used for winter formals and homecoming. 

Every year, creative signs are made by students in interesting ways to relate to their date. Nifty sayings are often written on poster boards and sometimes surprisingly in cupcake form with tasty icing. If a student knows that their date in mind plays a sport – or takes a particular interest in Starbucks, for example – they may show up with a basketball and Starbucks iced matcha, or coffee as well. 

“Being asked with a sign is a fun surprise that I wasn’t expecting but really made my day,” an anonymous freshman that was asked with a homecoming sign said.

All in all, the debate on whether or not guys should be the ones to ask the girl will continue on for many years to come because the situations can vary. Some guys want to be the ones to ask not because it is a tradition, but just because they want to.