Before you upload that blingy photo of your new ring to Instagram, you might want to pause. According to a story in The Cut, there’s a new trend emerging of photos of rings — no people; just ring and hand — being shared on Facebook and Instagram (and various other mediums). (Above: Ashlee Simpson‘s ring from former hubby Pete Wentz)
The author says she’s perfectly happy for couples who decide to tie the knot. However…
“the subset for whom I’m slightly less tickled are those who insist on posting pictures of their newly bedazzled left hands — just the hands — on Facebook to announce the changes in their relationship statuses. Call it the context-free diamond; even if the stones are ethically sourced, the status update is irksome.”
Her argument: Shouldn’t the happy couple also be in these photos? Is it just all-and-out bragging now? But this might not be so much a fault of a narrow, materialistic perspective as it is the reality of living life with social media:
Perhaps…the ring shot is a natural consequence of a culture that relies on social media, and that asks newly engaged women to “show me the ring!” Carley Roney, editor-in-chief of wedding-planning website The Knot, agrees. “It may look like you’re showing off, but let’s face it: Your friends will want to see pictures of your ring!” she counsels readers in her advice column. (She recommends “chang[ing] your privacy settings so only your inner circle” see the ring.)
We, personally aren’t offended if we see a one-off close-up shot of a new fiancée’s trinket. It serves as a symbol of what’s happened between them. Is anyone going to be all-out wowed or all-out horrified upon viewing a poorly lit iPhone photo of the bauble?
Maybe, if it’s on a Kim Kardashian carat level, but we’ve seemed to find that the most shocking and memorable proposals and marriages occur when they’re totally left of center: When there are no rings, or the ring is a beautiful pink gemstone instead, or the couple opted for a no-gifts and pro-donations-to-charity wedding instead of hitching up the U-haul of prezzies to their just-married vintage Rolls Royce.
Let the women who want to post their rings on social media have their fun. Then, if you truly want to see what a committed couple they are, you’ll have engagement parties, bachelorette parties, bachelor parties, and the ceremony itself to judge both them and where our society is headed (handwring!). We expect it will look much like things once did, albeit in a different time and with different digital whiz-bangs and whirly-gigs to keep up with.
[The Cut]
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