Following on from part one of the whole prom date thing last week, I wanted to summarise how to handle the whole partner thing if you’re not attached already. Then we can throw it out of the window altogether and talk about the alternative: going in a prom posse!
The skinny on getting a prom date
Don’t let yourself be swept up in all the pressure of prom dates – life is stressful enough without worrying about this too. But if you are worried, maybe these will help.
Firstly, don’t leave it till the prom week! If you have your heart set on someone, ask earlier rather than later.
Secondly, if this person is someone you admire from afar but don’t actually know, don’t march up and ask them out to the prom out of nowhere (unless you are devastatingly gorgeous and everyone in your year is dying to go to the prom with you). Get to know your ideal date first, perhaps find out what clubs or activities they’re involved in and get involved with them yourself. I'm not saying stalk them and do all the same things as them – that’ll just scare them off. But if you just do one thing that they do, it will increase the odds of them saying yes!
Thirdly, don’t ask them to the prom in front of all of their friends. There is nothing worse than having an audience for asking someone out, and getting a prom date is no different.
Lastly, it doesn’t have to be someone from your school. If you are desperate to have a date and all options have fallen through, why not ask a friend who goes to another school? Or your next door neighbour. As long as you know them and they are trustworthy, why not ask them instead? Your school year is not the only place to find a prom date.
Remember: It’s more important to have fun on the night than have a date for the sake of having one. Asking someone random may backfire on you – be careful about who you ask…
Forming a prom posse
What if you’ve just broken up with your partner and have no intention of getting another date for the prom? Or what if the one you had your heart set on is already taken (or worse, said no)? What do you do?
Well, the most important thing is to not let it spoil the night. Don’t, whatever you do, cancel your prom outfit and sit in your room listing to Emo all night whilst your mates party away at the prom. Who cares if you don’t have a date?
Odds are that several of your friends won’t have dates either, so why not go as a posse? You could even make the decision to do that right at the beginning and get rid of all the pressure of finding a prom date. Then you can dance with whoever you like all night and who knows, you may have a better time than the ones worrying about their date…
