At Regent, there are two major dances: Winter Ball and Sadie Hawkins. Winter Ball is more formal and similar to prom. As such, the guy asks the girl. Sadie Hawkins is a little different: the girl asks the guy to the dance.
Now just for some background about Sadie Hawkins: the dance was named after a 35-year-old spinster who didn’t have any suitors. Her father invited all the bachelors in the town to a foot race…to outrun Sadie. Whoever she caught had to marry her (a little ridiculous, I must admit). Apparently, people thought it would be cool to hunt down guys like prey and force them into submission.
Well, in modern days, the Sadie Hawkins Dance commemorates this tradition of young ladies hounding guys to be their date. As always, couples already have a date sorted out and there are always those girls who ask their guy friends to be their dates. Every now and then, there’s that one brave girl who asks a guy they actually have romantic interest in. Then there’s me—the one who just asks someone spontaneously.
After Regent’s Got Talent which took place a couple of weeks ago, I randomly yelled at the host from the audience asking him to go to Sadie’s with me. Honestly, I have no clue what I was thinking. I have a record of doing things impulsively, and I also like to see how people react to things.
There are people observers, but I consider myself a people experimenter. I enjoy figuring out how people react to different situations, so if I’ve ever done something absolutely weird and random to you, that’s probably why. It’s just the way I am.
You may ask what inspired me to ask him. It was the silence–a pure three seconds of silence as the hosts struggled to stall for the judges. I turned to my friend Michelle and told her I would ask him to Sadie’s and she said “Do it. You won’t.” I have this thing about being told what I will and will not do. He was walking off the stage, so I yelled, “Go to Sadie’s with me!” He didn’t respond, but a few minutes later I found him and asked about my invitation.
He looked obviously uncomfortable, which was already amusing to me. He began explaining why he didn’t respond on stage. Everything he said was logical and made sense, but then he started walking away, and I stopped him because he didn’t actually reply to the invitation.
He looked even more uncomfortable than he did before. “Ha,” I thought, “bet you thought you dodged that bullet.” He was quiet for a moment, but then I explained, “if you want to say no, just say no.” He shook his head with a lot of energy, but not so vigorously that his neck snapped.
He awkwardly scuttled away, and as soon as he left, my friends and I just died laughing. Many of my friends have been the victims of my antics, so they were finally able to see and enjoy what I see and enjoy from the outside.
To further push his buttons, I proceeded to tag him in a Facebook post where I quoted a line from “Hamilton”: “When push comes to shove, I will kill your friends and family to remind you of my love.” I figured if the experience didn’t emotionally traumatize him, he would at least like the post (he did).
There is an important lesson to be learned here. Sadie’s is a nerve-wracking time for females. Can you imagine how hard it must be for guys to work up their nerve to ask a gal to a dance? If you want to ask someone, then ask them, but if you get rejected, don’t take it personally. As always, don’t feel like you need a date to go to the dance.
Honestly, I feel like the most pressure is put on the guys. If a young lady asks a young man to the dance, it might be hard for him reject her for fear of hurting her feelings (or the fury of the girl’s friends). Guys, don’t be afraid to reject someone if you don’t want to go. Be courteous and honest. During this season where the idea “Ring by Spring” is in full swing and there’s a lot of overthinking, just keep calm and control your hormones. We’ll make it through.
Photo Credit: Cover, Image 1.