PROM?...

Asking someone to the prom has become a big, public deal.

(Gratuitous old person voice...) Back in my day, the boy walked up to the girl and said, "Will you go to prom with me?" and the girl said, "Yes." And that was that.

I don't know when it happened, but nowadays the young folks have to ask in writing. I suppose that by putting it in writing, the requester becomes contractually obligated to follow through with the rest of the event, should the requestee accept the invitation. Having numerous witnesses certainly makes breach-of-contract easier to prove.

My front-row seat to the Prama started two years ago. By then "Will you go to the prom with me?" had shortened to "Prom w/ me?" Now it's all the way down to "Prom?" I hope it doesn't go down further --- "P?" --- that just wouldn't be right on any level.

The more public the invitation, the better. The chain link fence on the 540 walking bridge near Falls is a popular location. Styrofoam cups are the medium spelling out Prom there.

So far this year, promvites have included...

-P.R.O.M.? taped to a locker in balloons
-P.R.O.M.?--> on t-shirts with the boy standing on the other side of the -->
-P.R.O.M.? spelled out on the fence around the tennis courts
-P.R.O.M.? written vertically on a 30' banner rolled out of a third-floor window
-P.R.O.M.? written on a card, attached to a vase of flowers (that matched the boy's shirt)
-P.R.O.M.? written on a caption, taped to a picture of a Hurricanes hockey player

As much thought goes into asking someone to the prom as goes into thinking of a creative way to propose. Too much, too soon? I think so, but then again I'm old.

We had a battle around here about the promvitation. Kelsey wanted her boyfriend to ask her creatively. I explained that her boyfriend doesn't go to her school. It isn't his prom. He couldn't invite her to her prom any more than he could invite her to a nice dinner at her house. He could ask her to his prom, but he doesn't have one this year. What?

After a little thought (and verification by numerous third parties), she decided she couldn't logically expect him to ask her to her prom. So, she promvited him in her own hipster style.

Trollface Meme