Men Deserve Bling Too.
Know this for: keeping up with all those blasphemous ideas circulating out there.
Washington Post has an annual “Spring Cleaning List” – things that society could really do without.
What’s on the list this year?!
Oh you know… the usual: democracy, leftovers, smartphones (but how will i check my email while talking to my mother while texting my honey WHILE paying my bills on the metro??), and engagement rings.
Someone has dared go AT IT with the engagement ring.
I know. I know. Many girls and women have long thought about the day they will receive that ring. The proposal, blah blah, etc etc. And so many of us are really attached to the “romantic” idea of it all.
But what does it all really signify and why do we continue to partake in this?
Men write to me to say that they’re ready to get married, but given school debt and the depressed economy, they simply can’t afford a good enough ring, and they despair whether they’ll ever be able to pop the question. Here’s a secret that the folks at De Beers don’t want young people to know: All you need to do to become officially engaged is tell everyone, “We’re getting married!”
Did you know that? That’s all it takes. Literally. You’re like ONE Facebook status away from being engaged.
But seriously, the concept of the engagement ring makes a woman wait for a man to ask her to marry him. Why do I have to wait for him? What if he needs to wait for me?
But here’s the worst part: guys don’t even get to rock some bling to show the world that someone loves them. As an equalist, I am very troubled by this.
Perhaps the solution is NOT that we get rid of engagement rings. During this age of excess lets gender neutralize the engagement ring! I think my future fiancee totes deserves a rock to show the world how much I love him!
Hahaha… That’s a joke. Who actually wants to spend all that money?
–Pragya
(I’m not trying to say it’s wrong to want an engagement ring or to love the one you already have. I think its an interesting idea, and raises pertinent questions)
From Val: I won’t go into overload regarding my thoughts about engagement rings and the manipulation of DeBeers and Cohorts. A couple should be aware of each other’s finances if they’re planning on getting married. I also have negative feelings towards the idea of a woman waiting for this big SURPRISE when the guy decides he’s ready to be married. Both people should discuss the idea of marriage, what it means to them, and when they’re ready to do it. As for the ring itself, personally, I don’t care if I get a ring or not. And if I do, I wouldn’t care if it was diamond, emerald, or plastic. I don’t want to buy into the Diamond Mafia mind games.