In recent years, women have made leaps and bounds on almost all fronts, from closing up the earnings gap to increasing representation in the federal government. Yet one thing continues to elude us: dating and dance equality.
The upcoming Sadie Hawkins dance is the only time of year when a girl can ask a boy out and be shielded from the judgment of her peers.
When it’s not Sadie’s season, she runs the risk of being labeled as aggressive, desperate and perhaps even masculine when she, doing what many of her male classmates have done, holds a poster reading “Prom?” outside of Billy Joe’s second period biology class.
It’s a blatant double standard and the confused, questioning looks she receives are a stark contrast to the high fives and cheers her male counterparts get from their buddies.
Some have said that a boy making the first move is simply more romantic, but at the end of the day, dating is dating. It doesn’t matter who asks whom out. If you’re compatible, then the romantic connection will be instant and obvious, and it’ll become clear that such concerns are irrelevant.
The first recorded Sadie’s dance was back in 1938, and while it’s meant to be a symbol of female empowerment, more than seven decades have passed since, as has the need for such a specific dance.
During those 76 years, the Equal Pay Act has made it illegal to pay women less than what a man would receive for the same job, the Civil Rights Act bars discrimination in the workplace and women can now wear pants without drawing appalled gasps, but it’s still considered strange to casually ask a boy, “How about Prom?”
It’s an outdated, sexist unspoken rule that harkens back to the days of 19th century courtship of mild and meek ladies hidden underneath layers of petticoats and flowing fabrics.
An invitation to a dance or even the movies isn’t a challenge of authority or power play, it’s flattering and actually a very nice compliment that should be treated as such, appreciatively and with respect.
Whoever you are, girl or boy, never be afraid to make the first move. Don’t led dated gender roles and expectations deter you from asking that special someone to a dance other than Sadie’s/
Take the plunge, and someone who resents you for making the first move because it’s “aggressive” or “untraditional” probably isn’t a person you’d want to date anyway.