Traditionally speaking, when we think of proposals when it comes to hetero couples, it's pretty much always the man who proposes to the woman. We see it in movies, TV, internet specials, read it in books - there really aren't a lot of examples that most people can think of (aside from arranged marriages) where there is any deviation from that. He proposes to her. That's it.
But what if that wasn't it?
With more and more male celebrities rocking engagement rings (Ed Sheeran, Michael Buble, David Otunga, Osi Umenyiora) and tons of couples ditching the idea of gold and diamonds entirely, younger people are all about chucking traditions out the window and doing it their own way. So let's talk about this whole proposal thing...
Reddit user That-Guy-Jack asked:
Women who proposed to your boyfriend, how did they react when you were the one to pop the question?
It turns out young people who have switched it up aren't exactly being pioneers in the proposal territory. There were some couples who responded and had been married for literal decades! Some of these responses had to be edited for language, but here are people's real-life proposal stories. Enjoy!
Forgot To Answer
He was pretty taken aback, and said it was the nicest thing anyone has ever done for him. Then I reminded him he hadn't answered the question yet, and he said yes.
The Song
GiphyHe said he had to think about it. Mind you, we'd been living together for 2 years and I proposed to him in bed. About a week later, after I had pretty much convinced myself I'd need to find a new place to stay, he sang a song he wrote accepting the proposal. And we've been married 36 years.
Emotional Rollercoaster
I'm a guy and my wife proposed to me.
I was totally caught off guard, not specifically because I was the one being proposed to, but because we had never discussed marriage at any point prior.
As far as my reaction? Well it went down like this:
I got home from work and she was waiting in my room for me sitting on my bed. She was like "Take of your jacket". I said "Okay" and did so. Then immediately she said "Sit down". At this point I'm kind of concerned. Then she starts talking.
She said, "I really like you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." But I heard it as, "I really like you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you..." and I was fully expecting her to say "but I can't". My heart dropped, I thought I was getting dumped.
Anyways, then she started babbling and not being able to collect her words and thoughts and I had no idea what was going on. Then she pulled out the box, with the ring. I said yes, and had to get my composure because of the emotional roller coaster I was on.
I hugged her, went upstairs, told my mom and cried (tears of joy). Then I went to the bar to tell all our friends. Now we're married and have a house and a dog :)
Carry Me
I've dragged him through Vienna for a week as this was on our first vacation together. Finally, he gave up and said he couldn't walk anymore. we sat down in the orangery of Schönbrunn Palace where I asked him. First thing he said was: Seriously? followed by: yes. followed by: you know, you have to carry me home now.
- Sjeru
Happy Halloween
Husband, here.
My then gf and I made an annual trip to Las Vegas for a Halloween music festival, for years. During the planning of the current year's trip she said "hey, we should get married on Halloween this year!"
I said it was a great idea and we got married.
That was ten years ago and we've been happily married ever since.
For what it's worth, we had been together for ten years already when she "proposed." We had a pretty nonchalant view on marriage but we instantly loved being married after.
10/10 would marry her again.
Beat Me To It
My wife proposed to me. I thought it was awesome! I was planning to ask her on New Years Eve, and she beat me to it and asked me on Christmas Eve. Never felt emasculated and still think it was awesome.
WTF
GiphyHe kinda went "What the f*ck?" like I was crazy or something.
This was after 6 years of living together. Then I started snooping and found out about all the skanks he was screwing on our couch while I was at work.
I'm in a different country now.
Calling Your Bluff
We were lying in bed on a Monday morning, wrestling. I mostly jokingly said "Marry me already." He said, "Are you seriously asking me?" I, thinking he was just calling my bluff, called his and said yes. Then he said yes and promptly called his mother, who was caught off guard about this news at 8:30 on a Monday. He agreed on the condition that he could still surprise me with a ring.
Going on 4 years married this winter. :)
The Theme
My sister in law proposed to my brother. She took some photos of his work stuff (he's a firefighter, so his last name is on everything) and put them on canvas. She convinced him to drive to one of their favorite places with this mystery box. When she finally got him to focus on the box, she pulled out the pictures and asked what the theme was. When he guessed his last name, she pulled out a paper saying "you stole my heart, can I steal your last name?"
He was pretty stoked. He was really excited that she asked, and said yes. When he told us, the family, he said he's relieved because proposing to her never crossed his mind. He was so content he would have never thought of change.
Taking Turns
I proposed to my husband, but we both already knew we would be getting married.
I like to think it was pretty romantic - at sunset on a bridge in a little French village in Provence. I made him turn around for something and he immediately figured out what was happening, so tried (and failed) to stay calm and just looked like he was going to burst from excitement.
I got down on my knee, told him he was the best thing that happened to me and asked. He said yes, of course, and we kissed.
Then he said he wanted to give it a try so he got down on one knee and proposed to me too!
We'd already discussed how we wanted the proposal would go, and decided while either of us could pop it if we wanted to, I was generally better at planning things out and putting my foot down (I was also the one to ask him out when we first met.)
Mid-Conversation
I wasn't planning on proposing, but the question just popped out in the middle of a conversation He said yes, then had to go for a walk to call his best friend and freak out a little bit.
When he got back we decided we needed to do it right- there weren't any rings at this stage, but we could at least do the whole down on one knee thing. We couldn't decide who should actually do that though, so we both got down on one knee and proposed to each other at the same time. And we both said yes.
- Why Aren't More Women Proposing To Men? | A Practical Wedding ›
- Should a Woman Propose To A Man??? - YouTube ›
- More Women Are Searching for Ways to Propose to Men | Brides ›
- Eight women who decided to propose - BBC News ›
- When Women Propose, This Is How It's Done ›
- 5 Very Real Reasons Why Women STILL Can't Propose | Brides ›
- This woman proposed to her boyfriend — here's why you shouldn't ... ›
- 8 Stories About Women Proposing to Men ›
- How Women Proposing To Men Are Challenging Gender Roles ›
- Men Describe Being Proposed to By Women - VICE ›
"What’s something that is incredibly unhealthy that most people don’t even realize?"
Having Friends Is Good For Ones Health!
"Loneliness."- CaptainGrabality
Always Good To Get On A Routine
"Shift work."
"Nights, followed by lates, followed by earliest."
"Physiologically so destructive."
"I work for the emergency services so it's essential 24/7."
"The management are pretty good but we've been shafted on pay at a national level."
"Still attritional on the body."- PhatNick
Always Try To Get Those Eight Hours
"Chronic lack of sleep."
"Sleep deprivation."- CoolPotatoTomato
Tired Stewie Griffin GIF by Family GuyGiphyNot The Kind Of Energy You Want
"The amount of people who drink soda or Mountain Dew or energy drinks 24/7 and say ‘I feel fine so it must be fine’ is INSANE." - WildFemmeFatale
Get Up And Stretch Those Legs
"Sitting for long periods."
"Both unhealthy and as you get older dangerous."- JoeMorgue
Careful What You Breathe In
"Honestly, most cleaning supplies."
"They’re fine to use in your house, but if you can smell it and your lungs aren’t happy smelling it, you should be wearing an n95 or respirator."
"Bleach is a big one."
"Anything that makes you cough in a small room."
"I know everybody kind of goes crazy about shower stains but your bathroom is too small of an enclosed space to be using strong chemicals without some type of breathing protection."
"Turn the fan on, open the window and use a damn mask."
"Your lungs will thank you in 20 years."
"I never even thought about any of that until I started glassblowing."
"Glass blowing works with a lot of stuff that we have to wear masks for, cold working like sanding down glass, the colored powders, mold materials, enamel paints, asbestos pads, etc."
"Once I got into the habit of protecting my lungs, I realized just how much stuff at home is probably pretty bad to be breathing in also."
"Good news is, a reusable respirator is pretty cheap at any hardware store, the filters aren’t crazy expensive, and it’s surprisingly useful to have."
"Painting, cleaning, replacing 50 year old carpet, any stinky job like when a 70lbs dog has diarrhea all over the house, etc. It’s just handy to have."- huskeya4
clean sailor moon GIFGiphyIt's Important To Have a Little Fun Every Now And Then!
"Stopping yourself from enjoying/doing anything just because other people might not approve of it."
"It can end up being one of the most detrimental things you can do to your health, physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally."- LustxInfinity·
Just How Much Fruit Exactly Is There?
"A lotta name brand fruit juices have lot more sugar than folks like to pay attention to."- TeriosNaija
Use Those Vacation Days!
"Working so much w only 2 vacation weeks (10 days) a year."- skoldane
Out Of Office Summer GIF by Merge MansionGiphySo, next time you find yourself sitting at home, alone, with nothing to do, take yourself for a nice long walk, or even just a short walk around the block.
Your mind and body will be very grateful for it when you get home.
As a little escape is just what the soul needs, every now and then.
Redditor odeus120 wanted to hear about the signs that make us see how some people should be raising their kids better.
"What screams trashy parents?"
Having waited tables, it's all a red flag. The list is too ling.
Oh Mother
Mean Girls Movie GIF by filmeditorGiphy"Mothers who see their daughter as competition."
Salt-Direction4885
"I see you've met my mom."
MYHAUNTEDPOCKET
On the Socials
"Social media influencers whose entire content is their children. People who publicly punish their kids online, parents who give out way too many details about their children giving them lack of privacy. Child exploitation at its finest."
Rooster-Wild
"There’s a lady on TikTok who posts constant videos of her daughter naked in the bath. Someone else called her out on it and how it’s only harming her daughter so what does she do? Turn off all comments so people will stop harassing her about taking down those videos. And keeps on posting for the pedos."
yorkiewho
The Trashers
"Kids running around a store trashing the place and not a parent in sight."
makeski25
"Many years ago when I worked at WalMart, parents would routinely 'drop off' their kids in the toy department and then just walk through the store, or, worse, go across the street to eat out or shop. So it wasn't unusual to see numerous unsupervised kids just wrecking the toy and sporting goods department."
"I once fussed at a manager to do something about a pair of kids who had put together a bunch of pool noodles and were running down aisle after aisle, just clearing the shelves and knocking stuff to the floor. Manager pulls the kids aside, parents show up, yell at the kids, and the manager comes to me and goes: 'well, I hope you feel better, you made me ruin that kid's night.'"
Blametheorangejuice
It's just a game...
"Cussing out the officials at a little league game. Telling your child to punch another player they tripped over."
SnooChipmunks126
"I coached t-ball, the kids were pre-k to 2nd grade. I had a mother inches from my face screaming at me because I asked her child to sit down for an inning... Because he was hitting kids in the head (with a helmet on) with a bat. It was one of the wildest things I had happen to me. Not the last though."
BitofaCrochetHooker
Any Pepsi?
Baby Drinking GIF by reactionseditorGiphy"When I waited tables in college, I saw a mother fill her young toddler’s bottle with Coca-cola. I thought it was just horrible."
lobsters_love_butter
This is a mess. At least it wasn't a Jack and coke.
Blame
Yup Thats Right GIF by Katelyn TarverGiphy"When their kids could literally set the world on fire and they'll blame anyone else to avoid responsibility."
Difficult_Shine3675
"My sister in law does this. Her kid could set someone on fire and she'd go 'well it's not HIS fault she has on such flammable clothes!'"
HavingALittleFit
Destruction
"Kids destroying other people's stuff/property and the parents are just standing there and laughing like it's a form of amusement. Once went into an older movie store and there was a child bashing the glass with his ball and throwing the movies all over the floors. The mother (presumedly) let her child continue to do that despite others' protests including the manager's. I don't fault the child, doesn't know any better. The mother should've been asked to leave the store with her son."
InfiniteWords117
Stop Yelling
"There is a kid (maybe 8-10 years old) on the other side of my street right now yelling slurs and telling everyone who walks by to go f**k themselves while their parent sits on the porch smoking weed and laughing. This is a regular occurrence. I'm fairly certain the kid has a mental disorder but the fact that the parent seems to be encouraging the behavior is pretty trashy."
SternCoats
The Stench
"Kids that smell like smoke because their parents smoke indoors. It was my parents. Everybody hated when we came over because everything we'd touch would smell like cigarettes as well. Couldn't convince my parents to smoke outside of the home because 'it's their house and they'll do as they please.'"
bumblingbirdy
Control
Frustrated Skip Bayless GIFGiphy"Parents emotionally blackmailing their kids. Using guilt and obligation to control their children."
SuvenPan
We know that raising a family is hard, but these folks need to do better for their kids.
Do you have similar experiences to share? Let us know in the comments below.
Redditor jumpjoom wanted to hear some thoughts on who everyone thought might be today's greatest smarty pants.
"Who is the closest person alive to a modern-day Einstein?"
I know I'm not on this list. So easy place to start.
The Unknown
excited genius GIFGiphy"We probably don't know about them. They're probably buried in some pharma, rocket science, technology company and are content to do their thing."
believeTheError
"I know this absolute child prodigy genius of a mathematician that went to Harvard and was easily one of the best there. He’s currently a professor of a 3rd tier state college."
gigawort
Just as good...
"Even at the time Einstein was alive, it wasn't that he had the most powerful brain or best math ability (many surpassed him here). He worked on and solved some of the most outstanding problems in physics at the time. The late 19th/early 20th century was a special time for physics; classical physics was failing apart but how to fix it wasn't known - Einstein (amongst others) offered some ways to fix things."
"Tons and tons of people are just as 'bright' as Einstein by almost any metric but their work essentially can't as impactful. We're too many decimals deep into measurements now."
Jorrissss
"Emmy Noether comes to mind as a contemporary of Einstein who was easily a better mathematician than he was."
CoastingUphill
Impossible
"I’m going to give a weird answer: John Carmack."
"Just go read some of the things he has done and is doing. From inventing some of the math and programming that gave us the modern computer gaming revolution (this is the guy behind the original doom), to running a rocket company trying to achieve orbit and complete propulsive landings similar to what Space X does today, to dropping everything to create the future of VR."
"Now he’s immersed in AI research on top of everything else. The guy is a walking talking genius who sees things on a whole different level. He spent his whole career doing 'impossible' things in software and hardware. Whether you know his name or not, his work has had a real effect on all of our lives, and likely will be even more impactful in the future as we move toward a more virtually-centered life."
Exodi
Advanced Study in Princeton...
"Ed Witten..."
"American mathematician and theoretical physicist at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. He received his Ph.D. in physics in 1976 from Princeton University. He has made landmark contributions to string theory from the 1980's to the present day, most notably the development of M-theory in 1995. He was awarded the Fields Medal in 1990 for his contributions to mathematics and mathematical physics"
Heap_Good_Firewater
It's all Relative
Good Witch Smile GIF by Hallmark ChannelGiphy"Thomas Einstein, Albert Einsteins great grandson."
XRomaniaIsInSomaliaX
"That dude is a doctor. Imagine living your life having people refer to you as 'Dr. Einstein.' I'd develop a superiority complex."
blue4029
Those Einsteins. They should do a sitcom.
Math Guy
Confused Thinking GIF by JKGiphy"Grigori Perelman the Russian mathematician?"
OverLurking
"My man solved the Poincaré Conjecture and just dipped. I love math and I tried to read his paper and I did not understand a single word. The surgery thing seems like magic to me."
Lufernaal
Tao
"Terrence Tao."
david_rohan
"Apparently a strategy, if you're stuck on a problem at higher level maths is to get Tao interested in what you're working on."
JVM_
"From his Wiki. His research topics include 'harmonic analysis, partial differential equations, algebraic combinatorics, arithmetic combinatorics, geometric combinatorics, probability theory, compressed sensing and analytic number theory.' Just look down the rabbit hole of any one of those theories or topics and your mind will explode."
KardelSharpeyes
And the family...
"All of the Tao siblings are terrifyingly intelligent. I had the pleasure of playing a concert alongside Terence's brother, Trevor. I perform my set and am feeling pretty good about myself, and then Trevor gets up and performs gymnopedie no 1, which is a pretty difficult piece, but the dude did it while solving a Rubik's cube. Needless i say, I, and all the other performers that day, felt quite upstaged."
Haverwolf
"Trevor Tao is also an international chess master and is one of Australia’s top players."
Askyourdaughter
Thought
"Miguel Nicolelis. He created the theory and proofs of the brain net, basically telepathy. Thanks to this he managed to create a machine that a quadriplegic could walk using the power of thought. And it worked. The power of thought From someone else for this quadriplegic to relearn how to think about walking."
DELAIZ
The One and Only
albert einstein GIF by US National ArchivesGiphy"In some fields, science can be so complex and multi-disciplinary that 100s of people have contributed to e.g. gene therapy, CO2 capture or other major contributions to society. So major discoveries can't be attributed to a single person. And most of this science, if published, generally needs affiliations to academia to be taken seriously."
"Einstein was truly one-of-a-kind from his multitude of publications in 1905. I'm 90 percent sure that he wasn't even affiliated with any university at the time. He did it solo, out of nowhere. This makes his discoveries even more impressive! Einstein experts, please confirm that he did in fact not work at a university in 1905. I believe he worked at a patent office."
TheGhettoKidd
I'm not smart enough for this thread but we applaud this next generation of geniuses!
Do you have anyone you'd like to add? Let us know in the comments below.
