The Sadie Hawkins dance is making a return to Arcata High School! Inspired by a 1930s comic by Al Capp where unmarried women chased bachelors down, Sadie Hawkins has traditionally encouraged girls to ask out boys.
“When I first heard about the dance, I was super excited. I started thinking of all the ways I could prom-pose to my boyfriend,” junior Chelsea Smith said. Little did Smith know, this would not be a typical Sadie Hawkins dance.
A week after the posters started appearing around campus, the sophomore class released a statement in the press. The headline read: “Male identifying students encouraged to ask partners to the Sadie Hawkins dance.”
“I heard about the change, and, respectfully, my first thought was ‘wtf.’ I was looking forward to asking my boyfriend. In no world could I ever imagine him asking me to the dance! That’s just not how it works,” Smith said.
Despite pushback from the girls at school, boys seem to like this change. “I think it’s empowering,” senior Dave Jones said. “I feel like I can take initiative in my love life without being judged.”
These sentiments were shared by most male-identifying students. “It’s honestly refreshing. I think this is the kind of change that we need to see in society,” junior Ryles Ponto said.
The administration announced on Tuesday that the change was made as the first step in an initiative to break down gender norms at Arcata High, and they hope to continue to spread more male-focused empowerment on campus.
“I’m tired of the matriarchy. I’m tired of waiting for girls to make up their minds. I’m happy that the choice is mine for once,” Ponto said.
