Dress? Check. Shoes? Check. Hair appointment? Check. Date? Not so much. Many students know the feeling all too well. Teresian or prom or junior ring is right around the corner and you couldn’t be more excited, but you have one problem. No date. You’ve tried everything but there seems to be no suitable date for you left in the world, or at least in Kansas City. Never fear, I am here to tell you that’s it’s no big deal.

Personally, I have only taken a date to one school dance, and it was a disaster. It was a set up by a mutual friend and we only met the day before and were both very uncomfortable the entire night. The fact that we were sophomores did not help the awkwardness of the situation. Since sophomore Teresian I have gone with just a group of friends to every STA dance and I’ve had a blast.

I think the main reason girls feel the need to take a date to school dances is that they don’t want to feel left out. No one wants to be the one girl standing off to the side while everyone is pinning on boutonnieres and dealing with corsages. No one wants to be the one girl at the prom dinner table without a boy in the chair next to her. No one wants to be that one girl. Trust me, you aren’t. You are not alone. All you friends love and support you and don’t care whether or not you have a date. You will not be excluded from pre-dance photos or dinners. The only thing you’ll miss out on is struggling with a boutonniere and spending extra money on his dinner.

Taking a date seems to be more stressful than it’s worth. All the hoops you need to jump through end up being more trouble than they’re worth in a circus-like dance where you’re actually drowning in awkwardness.  All for what? A few pictures together? Unless you’re already great friends with a guy, or if you’re one of the lucky ones with a boyfriend, then don’t stress over finding a date, trust me, you don’t deserve it. Your STA dances are about you, so do what you want, not what some stinky boy wants.

Twenty years from now chances are slim that you’ll look back on your high school dance photos and reminisce on awkwardly dancing with some random guy, and instead you’ll laugh about how hard you whipped with your besties.