Homecoming. It’s a big deal. It is talked about during the last part of summer and the beginning of school until the week arrives.  It is a fun time, so why does it cause hard feelings and so much stress? Why is having a date such a big deal?

All grades can go to the homecoming dance, but it seems the people who go most frequently are the sophomores and juniors. The freshman feel the need to have a date since they are now in high school. Many sources concluded that the younger grades (girls for the most part ) just will not go if they do not have a date. Some of their parents even say they’ll buy their tickets and give them money for dinner if they just go with their friends, but most will just stay at home if they don’t have a date.

But for the boys, their reasons for going or not going without a date are completely different. Since boys, most often, do the asking for homecoming they are faced with the task of asking- such as, making a poster with a cute reference or funny rhyme their date will like or doing something cute to get a date, like buying candy, flowers, or some other small gift to entice someone to be their date. They have to coordinate with the girls schedule and her friends, because of course someone has to take the cute picture to post on the ‘gram, or even a video. But, boys will go without a date. This seems to be because the boys” validate” the girls with their asking them to be someone’s date. As GHS junior Maddi Vanderband put it “ If you don’t show up with a date and in all the pictures you post and take you’re alone and people think, EEEEWWWW, she doesn’t have a boyfriend.”

Snowcoming on the other hand is a different story because typically, the girls ask boys. But it seems more people have dates to homecoming. Yes, the attendance to the winter dance is lower. The girls also happen to ask the boys to that dance. Is this a coincidence or is it just the fact that girls don’t feel the need to have a date to this date because they’re the person doing the asking, and want to make the boys feel how they feel? Do the boys feel how the girls feel on homecoming when they don’t have a date? Chemistry teacher Ms.Schoch, now Mrs.Avinash, adds “Homecoming is definitely a bigger deal because for snowcoming girls feel less pressured to ask, but for snowcoming boys are more likely to go without dates.”

All in all, having a date is fun and it is super cute to match with someone, but someone DOES NOT need a date to go. It is perfectly fine to go with a group of friends. Most people have more fun that way. As junior Peyton Hooper said “I’ve never had a date to the dances, but I always have a great time with my friends! Honestly, my friends who had dates said it’s so much more work and worry to go with a date instead of just going with your girls! It’s always amazing with my friends!”

Take the plunge and go without a date. It is not as big of a deal as some would think.