Women sent another warning to guys: Don’t skimp on proposal events. Thirty-four women said they don’t want to feel as though their men tried to keep costs to a minimum.
Take our first anonymous woman, a 30-year-old office worker called Kim. On Valentine’s Day last year, her boyfriend of one year told her he wanted to take her somewhere special. She had been considering marrying him and Kim sensed he was about to pop the question.
But, alas, her expectations only bred disappointment. Kim was led to a cheap motel, where girls who looked to be at least 10 years younger than she were hanging out in the lobby. She broke up with him right away. The man had prepared flowers and wine inside a room, but Kim was convinced this was no occasion to skimp on the finances.
Speaking of money, we have one more message for men. Diamonds are indeed a girl’s best friend. In our survey, 61 women said they would like a diamond ring as part of the proposal package, compared to just 19 men who said they thought a diamond ring was appropriate.
Do be sure you check out the handy chart at the end of the article. For example, 35 men surveyed said they considered "hiding the ring in food" as the best proposal, whereas 21 women ranked it the worst.
So I'm relieved that I'm with someone from the other side of the Sea of Japan. But it does raise the question, what are all these young women buying for their men? I mean, if he's putting down thousands of dollars for a ring that will be forgotten in a few months, what type of expensive engagement gifts are women buying for him? Sorry, "vagina" doesn't count.
Tangentially related, but last month I ranked some of the most hated English phrases in Korea, and gave "propose" an honorable mention. Some people didn't get that inclusion, so here's a recent example from Baskin Robbins:
I have no idea what it's suppposed to mean.
6 comments:
Anyone else notice that the D- is obscured and what that changes the title to . . . or is it just my mind in the gutter . . . lol.
Nice post,
J
p.s. If you figure it out you're just as bad as I am--lol.
I have never understood why so many women insist on such an expensive ring for an engagement ring. To me, an engagement ring is sort of like a physical reminder of the promise to marry, whereas a wedding ring is more a symbol of your enduring love. As such, for me, pretty much any ring over $100 would be fine in my mind for an engagement ring, whereas a wedding ring should be a little nicer (though, as the daughter of a jeweler, my emphasis is on style, not cost, and the two aren't necessarily connected). Korea being the extremely materialistic country that it is (moreso than the US even, I think), I am not surprised at the results of this survey.
A few days ago, the UK Daily Mail featured a story of a multimillionaire searching for true love after feeling used by several ex-girlfriends. While seeing a woman he met at a coffee shop, he drove to dates in a rusty wreck and went Dutch. He proposed to her with a ring that cost a few hundred dollars. Once she accepted, he told her the truth. At first she was upset until he shared his past experiences. They have been happily married more than a decade.
Utterly unromantic, I would prefer a man who didn't waste money on flowers or hotel rooms. If I ever marry, it'll be a ten-minute ceremony in front of the Justice of the Peace with an exchange of identical wedding bands bought at Wal-mart.
Going after the expensive rings and other crap is purely for image. The myth of the diamond-as-symbol-of-undying-love is one of the most successful marketing campaigns ever, dreamt up by DeBeers and leading to the utter exploitation of several African nations.
I would be embarrassed to wear a diamond, as it would be a mark of my utter ignorance of the world around me, coupled with undestructable proof of how truly self-centred I could be. No thanks.
It's funny that these women don't realize what rings originally represented: A "man's" property. Ever see a farmer's livestock with a ring through its nose. It wasn't long ago that women were considered this type of property in the civilized world. Sadly, they still are in certain areas of the planet.
Way to brainwash women, and many male rappers and sports stars, DeBeers.
Interesting comments, everyone. Thanks.
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