What's behind teenagers' promposal craze?

A male student gets on his knee, holding a bouquet of flowers, and asks a girl to the prom. Wearing nothing but a speedo.

What would you do to get a date to the prom? These days, it can take a lot.

The prom proposal — or "promposal" — is becoming an increasingly public performance. The most popular promposals on YouTube have millions of views. And students are spending hundreds of dollars in the quest to make sure their epic moments are seen around the world.

John Richardson, a doctoral candidate at the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary, tells Shad that in many ways, the promposal isn't much different from high schoolers' love of bombastic performances. But it can also reinforce old-fashioned gender constructs — overwhelmingly, it's the boy asking the girl to prom.

It can also, perhaps unexpectedly, help prepare them for their future in what he calls the neo-liberal economy. What does that even mean? Listen to Shad's interview with Richardson to find out.