Spinster Sadie Snatches a Suitor

The annual Sadie Hawkins dance is scheduled for Saturday, January 27th in the school gym. The Sadie Hawkins dance provides a welcome escape from studies as students trek through the endless stretch of days between the end of Christmas break and their next day off. This year, the theme is 80’s glam and students are encouraged to dress according to the theme, but still comply with the formal dress code found in the Catholic Daily. 

While CCHS students are familiar with the school event, some are unaware of the history of the dance and of Sadie Hawkins Day as a whole. 

The event originated after American cartoonist Al Capp dreamed up the idea of a Sadie Hawkins day in his comic “Li’l Abner,” a popular strip that ran from 1934 to 1977. The comic takes place in the fictional town of Dogpatch, a small, rural town.

Though not a character in the strip, Sadie Hawkins is the daughter of one of Dogpatch’s original settlers, Hekzebiah Hawkins, and is described as the “homeliest gal in all them hills.” At the advanced age of 35, Sadie Hawkins has not managed to find herself a husband. Depressing, right? Hekzebiah is not thrilled at the idea of caring for Sadie into his old age, so he organizes a race and declares it Sadie Hawkins Day. He assembles all the bachelors of the town and fires a starting gun. Whichever bachelor Sadie can catch will be forced to marry her. 

In later years, Capp implemented a Sadie Hawkins dance the night before the big race. Young women were encouraged to wear hobnailed boots and “accidentally” injure their dance partners in order to level the playing field on race day. Capp recognized the popularity of the concept and declared November 13th Sadie Hawkins Day. 

Though some young men may see this scenario play out in their nightmares, the idea gained popularity among young people of the late 1930s and 40s, with the shocking reversal of traditional gender roles. Fans of the comic were quick to adopt Sadie Hawkins Day and plan their own informal dances inspired by the comic.  

Sadie Hawkins Day has developed into a uniquely American folk holiday celebrating female empowerment. At the time, the dance symbolized the awakening of counter-cultural ideas, such as women taking on traditionally male roles. While the events of this comic may skew sexist to contemporary audiences, they created a tradition that has been enjoyed by many. Though Sadie Hawkins Day seems to assume that spinsterhood is a fate worse than death, it still encourages women to take initiative in their romantic pursuits.

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