By: Farrah Morris
While tradition says that you should always have a date to the dance, tradition also does not realize that dancing with a group of friends is more fun.
It’s coming. Another dance.
A chance for girls to cry in the fitting rooms of stores because the dress doesn’t fit.
A chance for guys to worry if the tie is tied correctly or if it is asymmetrical.
While Winter Formal is not as important as Prom, it is still significant.
That also brings up the concern of dates. Not only just dates, but whether people should bother going with a date.
Many single people find themselves scrambling to find someone for the dance but, is it really necessary going with a date?
The answer is: No. Going stag is perfectly fine!
While it is fun taking pictures with a date and having someone to show off to others, going with a group of friends or even just having a platonic date is great.
One reason that going with just friends is better is that there is a lot less stress involved.
With a date, people stress about looking perfect for their dates, having their hair look immaculate, their appearance perfect with not a single eyelash out of place, and ensuring they smell like a field of flowers God himself created.
However, with friends it is much less stress since it is just you and your friends. Also, chances are, they have seen you in pajamas after having not showered for three days.
You also do not have to worry about looking absolutely perfect because it is a group and their focus is not going to be solely on you for the entire night.
The second reason is that it’s more fun.
When you are just with a date, there is the pressure to make sure that both of you are having a good time throughout the whole night. You are constantly checking to make sure they are having fun, and at dinner it can be especially nerve wracking to keep the conversation going and not let it peter out.
With friends you can dance, joke around, take dumb pictures, eat as much as possible before leaving and you can also go somewhere post-dance and hang out there. It is much more enjoyable being surrounded by friends and not having to focus on being with only one person.
Another reason going alone is better is that you don’t need to buy a corsage or boutonnière.
Corsages and boutonnières are pretty expensive on their own if you decide to buy them from somewhere and you have to make sure it matches with your outfits (which also have to match) or else it will look bad.
Oh, and if you decide to make it yourself because it would make it more sentimental or you want to save money, that also takes a long time and is quite difficult if you want to make it look nice or decorate it.
Do not forget to make sure to also matches the color scheme you and your date have chosen either!
Overall it is just a lot of money spent and a lot of preparing for one night, and a flower accessory that is either going to be lost, thrown away at the end of the night, or will die.
While this is not to shame or mock people who have dates to the dance, this is to assure people who do not have dates to dances or are not interested in anyone that it is also perfectly acceptable, and a dance can still be just as fun!
