Is it necessary to have a date to go to prom?

Yes

By Meagan Pruitt

   From a girl’s perspective, the thought of going to prom by yourself is out of the question.
   There is so much more to prom than just the dance: pictures, dinner, flowers, after-prom and parties. If you go by yourself to an event like prom, you’re bound to miss out on some of these activities. 
   The best part about prom, for most girls, is the preparation. Picking out a dress, then getting makeup and hair ready with friends is what makes dances entertaining and exciting. But if you’re going by yourself, then there is no one to tell you how pretty you look. Coming down the stairs to find your date shocked with your appearance is something not worth missing.
   If you are hanging out with your friends until the actual dance, it can be really awkward. Prom is not like homecoming; it is something you’ve been looking forward to since you were little; it’s more formal and more meaningful since only half the school can attend it. Therefore, being single for prom is uncomfortable. While everyone is taking pictures with their dates, whether group photos or couples, girls who go alone are left in the dark. 
   With 40 kids to a class, most of your friends will be asked to prom. Thus, girls typically cannot come to prom in groups when most of their friends are going with dates. Also, they cannot sit and wait for someone to ask them to dance like at public schools because they will be one of a few.
   At the dance, slow songs will tie the loneliness bow into a tight knot. Even if you focus on the snack bar during these times, you can’t help but to feel jealous of all the other girls who are swaying with their dates.
   However, there’s more to why girls need a date to go to prom. Guys should no longer have the price/pressure excuse about not asking anyone. In fact, it goes both ways. Guys may feel a lot of pressure to ask a girl to prom, especially with the innovative promposals as of late, but girls have to endure the thought of not being asked. There are a group of boys going to prom without dates because of the pressure issue. But the girls without dates are left thinking there must be something wrong with them that so many available guys won’t ask them. 
   The idea of a guy asking a girl doesn’t have to mean so much. Simply go as friends. You don’t have to “like like” someone to ask them to prom. Just go with someone who you’ll share a couple of laughs.
   Secondly, money should not be an issue. Boys, by tradition, buy the tickets to the dance, dinner, tuxedo and corsage. Girls have to spend money on a dress, accessories, hair and boutonniere. Given the list, it may seem like the man is spending much more money than his date, however, the girl may very well be spending just as much depending on the price of her dress. Girls typically spend between $100 and $500 on prom. Obviously, the number could dwindle more towards 100 if you reuse shoes or wear a hand-me-down dress, but it’s more fun to get something new. If money is a great problem, then a couple should consider going Dutch-splitting the fees in half. That way both would be paying for their fair share along with their maintenance for preparation. 
   All in all, prom shouldn’t be so complicated. It’s a night for fun and unexpected things to happen. Guys shouldn’t worry about the pressure of asking or about the amount of money that will be consumed for this event. And these problems shouldn’t be used as an excuse if the person you wanted to ask is taken. This is a lesson worth learning: don’t wait too long to ask your first choice, and don’t let this stop you from asking someone else. If you’re scared of asking because you’re afraid she’ll say no, ask her anyway. If she says no, then she’s not worthy of you, and there’s someone else out there who’ll most likely say yes. As for the girls, they shouldn’t have to feel the embarrassment of going alone, so they should change the standards and ask a guy. 

No

By Dre Colston

   People often associate not having a date to prom with not having a memorable experience, however, it shouldn’t be necessary to attend prom with a significant other. 
   Fun can always be found when you’re with a group of good friends. I do not feel like you need a date to enjoy a formal dance. Whether I attend prom with a date or a group, it does not determine what amount of fun I will have during prom. 
Ok, so I might miss out on taking pictures with a date, or I might miss out on dancing to a couple of slow songs. Other than that, I feel like I’m getting the same experience. 
   So this might sound morally low, but you save a good amount of money by going with a group of friends instead of a date. 
   You don’t have to pay for dinner, a corsage or your date’s ticket to the prom. I do not mean to sound cheap in anyway, but just think of the money that will be saved. 
I’m not saying this is the only benefit from going without a date.
   Another benefit in going without a date is the lack of pressure. By pressure I mean not having to make sure everything is perfect for your date. For the guy, it is a must to make sure you look good because you cannot go to meet your date looking like you just woke up and put on a tux, especially after your date has spent the whole day leading up to prom to get dressed. I realize that there is not much for the guy to do, but I just don’t believe you should come to meet your date looking sloppy. I simply feel like there is much more stress – even too much – to make sure your date has that memorable prom that every girl deserves. 
   That means asking her in the right way and not in the boring way of “Do you wanna go to prom with me?” 
   A girl deserves to be asked in a unique way. 
   I also believe that it’s up to the guy to make sure everything is perfect, which is how it should be. However, the amount of pressure is quite nerve-racking. It’s up to the guy to make sure the girl is having a fun time, making sure she isn’t uncomfortable and making sure she doesn’t look back on her experience and think, “Why did I go with him?” That might be the worst thing that a girl could say – a real slap in the face. 
   Did I mention the pressure? I don’t think the girls understand the amount of stress us men experience on prom night, and I believe other guys would agree. Others see you differently when you don’t have a date to prom, like you’re not good enough to go with somebody. 
   But really, it is by choice. 
   Having a good time with friends is the main purpose of prom. To some others, it is all about a formal night with a date. I would compromise, and say the night should encompass both. It doesn’t really matter whether it is a group of boys or a group of girls. Some might respond by saying what distinguishes prom night from any other night spent with your friends if you are attending prom with a group of friends; you can go to any other party to dance, listen to music and hang out with friends. 
   Some would argue that for prom it’s different because you’re getting dressed up, taking a date to dinner and going to a formal dance. I would agree and disagree because if you go with a group of friends you can still go out to dinner and go to a dance where you might miss out on a couple of slow songs -- so what. 
Prom is a place to have fun and enjoy a good night out with a group of people. 
   So who cares if everyone might look at you a little differently as you walk in either by yourself or with a group of friends? I guarantee you that you will have the same amount of fun if you do not have a date.