There was a time when asking someone to prom meant wiping the sweat off of your palms, working up the nerve, and just asking that special someone if they would go with you. It might have been embarrassing, potentially damaging to the ego, and even a way to become the laughingstock of the entire school, but it was a rite of passage that most high school kids felt the need to go through. These days however the promposal, yes, the promposal, is the means by which teens ask one another if they will go to the prom with one another.
A promposal is just what it sounds like, a proposal to the prom. It is an elaborate scheme or attempt to get the attention of one’s desire in an effort to insure that they will say yes or, at the very least, will grant their full attention to the individual. By taking this a step further, MTV is offering teens a way to get their potential date’s attention as well as the entire world via social media.
Here are five things to know about promposals.
5. A promposal is an extra cost in addition to prom.
Considering the work that goes into promposing, the average cost is anywhere from $300 to $400 just to prompose. This might seem cute and quirky to teens, but to the adults that pay the bills it might seem a bit ridiculous.
4. Parents from low-income families tend to pay more than parents from high-income families.
According to research done on promposals parents that make less than $25,000 per year will on average spend over $1,000 for their teen’s prom overall while those that make $50,000 and over will spend less. This seems to imply that those that do without want to make certain their kids have a good time on their special night and will spare no expense, while those that have the means tend to want the same thing but don’t go to the same lengths.
3. Promposals began back in 2011.
A promposal is still a relatively new idea, but it didn’t just pop up out of nowhere. No one knows who did the first one, but the trend has hit and hit hard as more and more teens have used this method to gain the attention of the person they wish to take. As the years have gone by the methods of each promposal have only become more elaborate in an attempt to raise the bar.
2. Brand labels have gotten in on the action.
It’s easy to see why brand name items would be included on a show such as this. Free advertising, so to speak, is worth its weight in gold, and most brands are eager to jump in and be seen. Considering that the targeted demographic purchases the brands being featured it’s no wonder why many brand names see this show as a gold mine.
1. Thus far the show has met with a very tepid response from teenagers.
This is a bit of a surprise considering the need and desire for trends that many teenagers have in this day and age. So far however the hits on social media have been very low in comparison to what was desired. Promposals are still a very popular method of asking a date to the prom, but it would seem that many teenagers are so far less interested in being publicized for their unique promposal than they are simply executing the best possible method while sending it to Instagram.
Final Thoughts
It goes without saying that asking a date to the prom just isn’t what it used to be. The old ways are still practiced obviously, but in the digital age it has become more about getting the attention of your date and social media than just focusing on the anticipation of whether they will say yes or no.
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