Asking a boy out… that’s very scary, especially for someone who’s never had this much courage to ask someone out. Freshman Dollaress Fairfield asked out her boyfriend to Desert Oasis’ ’21-’22 Sadie Hawkins dance. What was her thought process? She had mixed feelings about whether or not it was even worth it to ask him out to a dance that not everyone around here talks about too much. Now that I think about it, I’ve never heard of the term “Sadies” until I saw the posters here around campus. When I asked people around me, including classmates that I’m not personally close with about what this “Sadies” dance is all about, even they couldn’t give a good explanation of what it is. Even Dollaress herself said that she never heard of “Sadies” until she asked her older sister, a former Desert Oasis student, about what this tradition is. With that being said, I concluded that the Sadie Hawkings dance is outdated, and schools should stop holding this event.

There are multiple factors as to why this dance isn’t as popular as other high school dances like a homecoming. First of all, how did this dance become a thing? I researched it and well.. it disappointed me. No, Sadie Hawkins is not a real person. She’s a character from a comic strip called L’il Abner by American cartoonist Al Capp. In the comic strip, Sadie Hawkins has no suitors, and she’s already 35 years old. Her father worried about her growing old and still having no one to spend the rest of her life with, so he arranged a race for all of the eligible bachelors in town, in hopes that Sadie does find the man of her dreams; however, the race is for the men to run, while Sadie runs after them: whoever is caught by her, they are forced to get married together. Today, many high schools and colleges hold this dance annually, with the tradition of the girl asking the guy out to the dance. I don’t understand why schools have decided to name a dance after taking inspiration from this comic strip. I understand that it’s great to defy society’s expectations of the guy asking the girl out, but this dance should have been named something else. People don’t even know where this dance’s origin comes from, so it’s better off to just make a dance that doesn’t originate from a story that pitied a woman growing old and making a forced marriage to make it look like another happy couple has been made. 

Another point I want to bring up is that this event is not LGBT+ friendly. This dance is outdated. Gender is a social construct, and in 2022, anyone, no matter what they identify as, can ask the person if they’re interested in dance. The origin of the comic strip was intended for Sadie Hawkins to find a husband, not a potential partner of any gender. In addition to that, the schools’ versions of this idea are not as popular and talked about as homecoming, and it specifically just targets potential or already formed couples to have the women ask their male partner/interest out. As someone who is a part of the community, I can see why people who may be in a relationship with someone of the opposite sex but are gay do not want to go to this dance: the Sadies Hawkins dance is not inclusive, therefore minorities are discouraged to attend. 

All in all, do I believe that this dance should be removed? My short answer is yes. Our younger generations are more inclusive of other genders, and school dances should not be limited to just people who identify as a man or woman. However, if schools want to continue making dances for students to attend and enjoy, they should consider creating a formal dance named after something more inclusive and with positive origins. Women should not fear their outcomes if they get rejected when trying to defy gender stereotypes because of this dance; people of the LGBT+ community should not feel excluded from these types of dances. This once-traditional dance should be a lesson for everyone: it’s outdated and noninclusive, and schools should remove it.