The following article reflects the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the view of any other member of the staff of The Scarlette.

When we think of Prom, images of couples in spiffy attire come to mind along with pictures of blaring music, cheesy pictures and… dancing?

What schools across the nation have seen more and more, and what we ourselves often hotly debate, is the sad truth that dancing is not so much the “Twist and Shout” anymore but the “Bump and Grind.”

Throwing out the common arguments, though, of it being degrading and unpleasing to the eye, is it really all that fun?

I have to say no.

I think back to those junior high dances when grinding really was not the norm.  People gladly participated in the “Electric Slide” and danced to Cold Play’s “Viva la Vida” with legs and arms flying.  Sure, we looked ridiculous, but we were comfortable with the fact that we were not alone.  We also didn’t look nearly as silly as those who chose to, according to Webster’s Dictionary,  “rotate the hips in an erotic manner.”

Those dances flew by, and then we entered high school.  Dances were no longer fun, mainly because if you weren’t grinding you felt self-conscious busting a move.

Suddenly, there was this pressure to grind on the dance floor.  In high school, there’s more to worry about than just what dress you’ll wear or who you’re date is.  Now, it’s all about if that date is going to want you to grind.  People have started picking dates based on their dancing preferences, something I find ridiculous at best.

Most people just stopped going.  Dances weren’t their ‘thing’ anymore. That’s okay, but was it dances themselves driving people away, or the dancing?

Now, those who choose to stick with their junior high dance moves are in the minority, swallowed up by the mosh pit of grinding in the middle of the dance floor.  They are not looked down upon, but they aren’t joined in with either.

I am all for freedom of expression.  If you feel that grinding is the only way you’re comfortable dancing, have at it.  But, many people don’t find grinding fun or even comfortable.

I was one of those people who just stopped going to dances all together.  I didn’t see the fun in grinding, and I didn’t think the music was really made for anything else than that.