Many high school students, in hopes of making prom a real night to remember, are asking celebrities to go to the big dance with them. Because really, why risk almost certain rejection from the guy or girl next door when you instead could risk almost certain rejection from Taylor Swift? Truth be told, Swift was flattered when 18-year-old Kevin McGuire asked the country star to prom. While she rejected the invite, she instead gave the cancer-battling teen tickets to the Academy of Country Music Awards. When illness prevented McGuire from attending, she tweeted to him, “I’ll make it up to you, Kevin!”  Swift—who’s probably received dozens, if not hundreds of prom invitations, is far from the only celebrity being asked out on a date. Georgetta Wuo asked NBA star Ricky Rubio to the big dance over YouTube (her video got more than 84,000 hits). Brooke Dutridge is petitioning with “American Idol” contestant Scotty McCreery through a Facebook page (with 1,700 fans). Leon Purvis wants to take Justin Bieber to prom “just as a bro.” His YouTube vid has snagged more than 139,000 hits, and while Bieber has yet to respond, Purvis says, “Never say never.” Why are teens asking out celebrities? Experts say it’s because they can. Social networking platforms have a leveling effect and tent to make hierarchies disappear,” says Christine Monnier, a professor of sociology at the College of DuPage. “They are only one link away from that celebrity.” (USA Today)