Unravelling the promposal
Believe it or not, promposals are an extremely controversial trend. While they may have started as a wholesome way to express affection to people we care for, sometimes they can have negative ramifications. Gone awry promposals can result in public embarrassment and destroy all hopes of a prospective romance. All this accumulates to the question: Should promposals be a thing? And, if so, how can they be pulled off appropriately? The answers to these questions vary depending on who you ask, but finding the right course of action to ask someone to prom is feasible.
Firstly, it is important to decide whether or not it is worth it to prompose to someone.
The hype for promposals peaked in the early 2010s with students going as far to ask celebrities such as Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift to prom, however in recent years, the notion of promposing has lost popularity. According to Google Trends, in March of 2021 Google searches for the term “promposal” are at merely 9% of their peak popularity. Similarly, when asked who is planning to prompose in the Wind-Up survey, only 5% of the students who responded said “yes” and 26.3% said they shouldn’t be a thing at all. While it may appear that promposing in 2021 isn’t cool or not worth the effort, other students have different opinions.
“I personally think promposals are so cute and I’m planning on going all out next year… I like to do extravagant things,” Caroline Corning, 10, said in the survey.
Another important factor in deciding if promposing is a good idea is finding unique ideas. This requires some research. It is important to find out what angle to take when promposing: romantic, humorous, or sentimental. The tone of a promposal may establish the tone of your prom night as a whole, so it is worth dedicating time and thought to. Social media sites are a great place to look for ideas under the promposal hashtag.
Oftentimes, the casual promposal incorporates a poster board with a pun about a hobby or favorite food. This lighthearted approach seems to be successful and low risk as it can work for both asking a friend or a partner to the dance.
On the other hand, there are promposals that incorporate gift-giving akin to Valentine’s Day. This may be an excellent idea for long-term relationships.
The final and most extreme promposal approach normally has to deal with large displays of affection involving singing or asking someone in public. While intentions are one thing, this can come off as unsettling and/or embarrassing. This highly affectionate promposal approach is actually part of the reason the trend of promposing has decreased.
Romance films and news stories built idealized images of extravagant promposals that in reality are risky and often inappropriate. It is evident that if you are planning to prompose this year, it is best to play it safe and go with a casual approach within your prospective dates’ comfort zone. While in 2021 the promposal may not be the most popular trend, for some, it is an important part of prom night that shouldn’t go overlooked.