Who is Sadie Hawkins and Why is There a Dance Named After Her?

Each year in high schools across the country there is a Sadie Hawkins Dance. If you are not familiar with the tradition, it is a dance where the girls ask the guys out instead of the other way around. The tradition has been celebrated for years and it is always a fun time for both males and females alike. Despite the widespread popularity of the dance, many people are not aware of how it came into existence. So who is Sadie Hawkins and why is there a dance named after her?

Sadie Hawkins was a cartoon character in the comic strip Li'l Abner. Sadie was rather homely and was avoided by men. In fact, she was so ugly that she feared she would never find a man. Her father, who was mayor, decided to intervene when Sadie had yet to find a man at the age of thirty-five. He gathered all eligible bachelors in the town square. The men were advised to start running when they heard a gun shot. When the gun was fired again ten minutes later, Sadie would run after them. If and when she caught a man, they had to marry her. Sure enough, she caught a man and he was forced to marry her. The other women of the town thought the idea was so wonderful that they made it an annual event called Sadie Hawkins Day. The event was celebrated yearly in the comic between November 1 and November 20.

Al Capp, creator of the famous comic, had no idea how monumental his creation of Sadie Hawkins Day would become. Many believe that the comic was a step forward in the Women's Liberation Movement. Soon after the first mention of Sadie Hawkins Day on November 13, 1937, women and men across the country were embracing the idea. On November 1, 1938, this first Sadie Hawkins Dance was held. Shortly after, Sadie Hawkins Dances began popping up in high schools and colleges throughout the country. The tradition continued to get even more popular throughout the forties and fifties.