Sadie Hawkins dances or roundabout dances started in the 1950’s when the idea of a girl asking a guy to a school formal was created. Generally, Sadie Hawkins dances are the winter formals, and Fruita Monument High School follows this tradition. But with more and more students asking friends,and the increasing acceptance of LGBTQ+ students, the norms have changed a lot when it comes to school dances in the seventy years since this dynamic was created. Sadie Hawkins dances are outdated, and we can have other dance themes that don’t leave out a whole group of people, and accept the fact that anyone can invite anyone.
Some students want to experience dances with their friends instead of going with a date. Dating culture and trying to find a date for homecoming, prom, or even a winter formal can be stressful for students. Going with your friends is and should be acceptable so why would we have a specific dance theme that disregards that. Senior Jayda Moore thinks that “Sadie Hawkins is outdated and it’s 2022 and anyone will ask anyone. Most of the time people don’t want to go with a date, they just want to go with a group of friends so you kind of feel left out of the theme.”
Other students believe that the idea of girl asking guy can be harmful to the LGBTQ+ community, in that anyone should be able to ask anyone, and not every relationship fits under the umbrella of girl asking guy. Junior Chandra Rae says, “I believe Sadie Hawkins is generally a cute idea. It is one that in the past was used to allow girls to ask guys to a dance, but now as our society modernizes it is outdated. For one, girls ask guys out and to dances all the time now without the label. Asking someone out has become mutual and, considering LGBT students, the dance in general is outdated. If a girl wants to ask a girl or a guy to a dance in today’s day and age it is normal. It’s good that girls asking out who they like has been normalized and vice versa with all genders.”
Being supportive to the LGBTQ+ community at Fruita Monument High School is important for a lot of students and staff, which is why posters around the school say that LGBTQ+ students are welcome. A Lot of the Fruita Monument staff makes sure that people know that they are in support of the LGBTQ+ community, by going out of their way to put up posters, create clubs, and even just being an area of support for students by being somewhere they can talk.
On the other hand, some students believe that Sadie Hawkins dances aren’t outdated. Senior Ryland Hoisington argued that, “The dance is not outdated because it is a great dance to look forward to coming right out of winter break. It is a fun winter themed dance which almost acts like a second homecoming, maybe even a little less formal. I also find it important and fun that we have a tradition in which girls will ask guys to the dance. It offers a different and unique experience. It is also a good dance because underclassmen do not get to go to prom, so this provides a good second semester activity for them.”
Students have varying beliefs on whether or not Sadie Hawkins dances are outdated. It all boils down to differing belief systems and how they view the world. Jayda, Chandra, and Ryland, and other FMHS students all have their own idea of what a school dance should be. Personally I believe that we could change the dynamics of the school dances and be more inclusive with our dance themes, and get rid of an idea that was created seventy years ago. https://www.seventeen.com/prom/a26328293/sadie-hawkins-dance/