The class of 2015 was apathetic at best in terms of prom invitations.  I was not impressed by many of the ways in which students asked each other to attend the annual formality.

However, I think this lack of motivation and originality may have benefitted junior girls.

I remember when I was in middle school and both my older brothers were upperclassmen at Campolindo. During the spring, they would come home from school and tell me all about the crazy and extravagant ways students would ask each other to junior prom and senior ball.

I remember one case in which a girl’s boyfriend took her car from the parking lot and moved it to the police station. According to my brothers, the girl panicked and called her mom saying her car was stolen. The girl’s mom was in on the plan and told her daughter to go to the police station. When the girl arrived at the station, her boyfriend was waiting with some of her friends, carrying a sign saying “prom?” and flowers.

I remember thinking how exciting it would be when I got to high school, to be able to see all the students ask each other in creative ways.

I even helped my brothers make their signs and think of unique ways to surprise their soon-to-be dates. The days leading up to the dance were always eventful, exciting, and dramatic.

Four years later, I feel like everything has changed.

I don’t think anyone extended an invitational until there was less than a month until the dance. Everyone was talking about prom, but many didn’t know with whom they would attending. I even overheard a group of guys in one of my classes saying they were too lazy and didn’t want to have to deal with asking anyone to be their date.

After the annual Mexico trip, invitations picked up. Still, I think some guys failed to understand that prom was quickly approaching. As a result, I noticed that some of the junior class girls were becoming anxious.

Within a one or two week span, there was a total flip in the “social norm.” I began hearing of girls from all different social groups planning out how they were going to take initiative and ask boys to prom. I was surprised but also impressed. Even those shy, quiet girls who sit in silence next to you in math class were making their own plans.

I was shocked by the amount of guts and empowerment that the girls were showing. They refused to wait any longer, disregarding social convention.

Even my friend and I ended up asking two of our senior friends. We didn’t want to deal with the stress of waiting any longer for junior guys, and we wanted to ensure we’d have fun with dates that we liked.

Junior Kelly Williams had the same thought process. She decided she would take her senior friend because she knew it would be an entertaining night.  “I think it’s kind of annoying that the guys aren’t stepping up. I think it’s funny that the girls are coming up with creative ways to ask people instead because its flipping hetero-normative gender rules,” she said.

I think the change has been beneficial to girls though. For me, it was a huge sense of relief to just get it over with. Also, it was nice knowing that my friend and I would be able to have a good time without having to worry about clingy dates.

Overall, I think the recent change in tradition has been a breathe of fresh air for our community. In an area where almost everything stays consistent each year, it has been nice to get a change of pace.  I’m looking forward to what crazy changes will come in the next following years, because I know there is a middle school girl now who is helping her brothers this year. It’s all a cycle and I’m sure when she hits her junior year, it will seem as though chaos has broken out once again.

Who knows, maybe next year the guys will be wearing dresses and the girls will be rocking the tuxes.