vvf:
I would like to state for the record that the way we do marriage proposals in modern society is really shitty.
One person, generally the male, gets weeks and months and sometimes years to think about this decision, and the other person, generally female, has like…what? 20 seconds to decide?
The hell with that! What kind of bullshit is that anyway? It’s totally unfair, springing that on someone out of nowhere!
Take note, hypothetical future husband: you had better talk to me about this beforehand so that when you propose to me with the Evenstar I will be entirely prepared for it.
This custom was born from a global marketing campaign by DeBeers Diamond Company that started back in the 50s. Research said that if women were allowed to pick their own engagement ring, they would go with less expensive options than their fiancees. So they invented the entire concept of the surprise proposal, to encourage men to secretly purchase the most dazzling rock they could possibly afford. All the while subtly implying that it was unmanly not to spend all that money on your intended wife, or that the proposal couldn’t be taken seriously unless the guy was ready with a ring. It fed into a lot of male insecurity bullshit, and it worked.
In addition, many people mistakenly believe that diamonds don’t depreciate in value - this is a myth that DeBeers consciously perpetuated with the “diamond is forever” slogan. So on top of saving all his money to buy what’s essentially a worthless rock, if a guy’s intended fiancee says no, he’s stuck with the ring anyway. It’s a great con, and they’ve been running it all this time.
(via thebookofstyle)
