Sadie Hawkins dances were originally invented as a joke, but recently they have become a catalyst for girls and women’s empowerment. The dance was inspired by a “hillbilly” cartoon called Li’l Abner, from the 1950s, where an unattractive girl, named Sadie Hawkins, chased down a man she admired and dragged him into dancing with her. Since its creation, its popularity has grown wildly. The once crude joke is now an act of empowerment, especially for the female students at AHS.
AHS sophomore Meghann Smiddy asked someone to homecoming this year, and was very happy with her decision.
“I decided to ask someone to hoco[e.g homecoming] because it was a fun experience because usually, girls don’t ask guys,” Smiddy said. “It did make me feel empowered and it’s always fun to switch it up and try new things. I also feel like with it being Sadie Hawkins more people got asked,” Smiddy said.
There has been a significant increase in “proposals” this year compared to other years. Girls are getting up the courage to ask people, even just for the fun of asking someone. In past years there were sometimes only a few public proposals, but this year there were at least 3 or 4 a day in the weeks leading up to the dance.
AHS sophomore James Kelly was asked this year by Emily Kinney and was very fond of the Sadie Hawkins style.
“I personally liked the dance better because I had an excuse not to ask, but I also liked it because it was different. There was definitely less pressure to ask. I wouldn’t mind keeping the dance as Sadie Hawkins because it’s fun and it doesn’t completely mean that guys can’t ask,” Kelly said.
The fear of asking someone often held students back in the past. The question of “What if they say no?” was still a concern this year, however many girls asked anyway.
Emily Kinney, a sophomore at AHS, swept James Kelly off his feet by asking him to homecoming.
“I think Sadie Hawkins this year was a really fun change. Granted I asked a friend as a friend, but I liked that I got to plan the ask and take it into my own hands. I thought it was really fun what the girls came up with,” Kinney said.