Prom season can be a nerve-wracking time for boys and girls alike. Many teenagers live under the impression that guys are supposed to come up with a grand “promposal,” while girls helplessly wait for somebody to approach them. However, times are changing.

“It [shouldn’t] matter if you’re a guy or a girl asking another guy or a girl,” junior Rachel Houser said. “I feel that stereotyping is cliché and shouldn’t [become] tradition as much as it [does].”We live in a society where girls are given the option to wear a dress or pants to school dances. Promposals should reflect a similar principle.

Deciding to ask a date to prom adds unnecessary pressure to both guys and girls. The grandeur of the promposal has reached an unrealistically high level of expectation. Both sexes have the right to be able to ask, stress-free. It may not seem socially acceptable, but it should be okay for girls to ask.

The underlying issue of the infamous promposal isn’t fear that the person will say no, but the subliminal gender expectation that the deep-rooted traditions of our society hold. Some individuals prefer to cling to the ideas of the past and the way things have always been. “I think [it’s] backwards. It’s always kind of been that way where the guys [ask] the girls to prom. It’s the manly thing to do. I think it’s good to keep men like men and women like women and keep things the way they are,” junior Isaac Brown said. However, some view this as an outdated approach to our changing society. Robert Goff, a junior, said, “I think [traditions] should generally stay the same, but I think there are exceptions to every rule.” Goff’s opinion reflects the idea that gender roles are changing and men shouldn’t always be expected to do the asking.

Although society’s norms may cause us to think otherwise, girls asking guys to prom, as well as other social events, should be considered normal. Girls have the right to ask if they choose. Society is ever-changing, and people have begun to realize that gender does not have to control an individual’s abilities or strengths.

“I think it definitely breaks a lot of social norms for men and women because men traditionally ask and women are not even supposed to consider, they’re just supposed to say ‘yes’ because a guy asked them. I think it empowers women a lot because it’s saying ‘hey, you can say no, but you can also ask a guy.’ It doesn’t even have to be with someone you’re into and if it is, that’s more power to you,” junior Nicole Maloney said.

If girls move past the “what if’s” in life and gather the courage to ask a guy, they will be surprised by the surge of confidence they will gain. As people, we all wish we could predict the future, but there’s no knowing unless the task is completed. Think about it: in ten years, when you look back upon your high school self, you can tell your legend, whether painful or thrilling, and laugh at yourself because you did something perceived as “crazy” at the time. Ladies shouldn’t focus on the end result — whether he says yes or no — but on the lesson learned from the experience.

More people are becoming aware of the outdatedness of expectations placed on people based on their gender. A person’s gender should not determine what is socially acceptable or unacceptable for them to do.

“If you want to do something, do it [regardless of] the gender you are,” Houser said. “Just be you. Don’t be afraid to be who you are and just do what makes you happy [as long as it doesn’t hurt others]. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.”