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With the recent surge of photos popping up and going viral of women, getting down on one knee and asking for their man’s hand in marriage, #TeamBeautiful thought we’d chime in on this hefty hot topic. Should women propose to men? Many women clutch their pearls immediately at the thought, claiming they would never get down on one knee to put a ring on their man’s finger. But then there are some women who feel that they can perform the grand gesture — and will without any qualms. Which side are you on? Check out what #TeamBeautiful had to say about the hot topic below:

MUST READ: She Put A Ring On It: Joseline Hernandez + 7 Celebrity Women Proposed To Their Men

SOUNDOFF #TEAMBEAUTIFUL

Leigh Davenport, Editorial Director

So, I’m a girly girl. I believe in love, happy endings, grand gestures and really big diamonds. That said, the decision to get married is always mutual and almost always couple have many conversations about the topic leading up to a proposal. Do I want to get down on one knee? No. Do I think any woman should get down on one knee? Absolutely not, but that’s just because it doesn’t look ladylike when you’re wearing a dress.

In real life the decision to get married comes in many different shapes and sizes. As far as I know, my dad never formally proposed to my mom and my mother is the one who initially proposed the idea of marriage. 34 years later, they’re happily married and amazing. It never even crossed my mind to ask about a “proposal” until I started forming my opinion on this matter. So no, I’m not getting on one knee, but there’s no one way to decide to spend the rest of your life together.

Nakisha Williams, Senior Editor

When it comes to relationships there are no “universal rules;” everybody’s and has to decide what’s best for them. That said, I would never personally propose to my man in the traditional sense. I could never see myself getting down on one knee…or walking around in the beginning of our engagement with him wearing a ring, and not me.  I’m old school. I would love for my future husband to ask my father for my hand in marriage, be thoughtful in why he wants to marry me, plan a special moment and declare he wants to marry me, before asking (you reading this, boo? Lol).
Now what I would do is “propose” the idea of marriage if I was in a relationships and ready to make that step. We all know it can take some men longer to think about it! I’d tell him I love him, make it clear I wanted to marry him,  and ask him if he felt the same. But I’d need my man to step up (or rather kneel down) from there. My grandfather always said “let a man be a man,” and I would never want to strip my future husband of the opportunity to propose if he was planning to….and if he wasn’t, welp, stepping in to do it myself would just be me being impatient or trying to force things.

Shamika Sanders, Entertainment Editor

Hell no. A woman should not propose to a man. What is this world coming to? OK, maybe I shouldn’t be so dramatic, but I think a woman will never know if her man was ready to make that commitment on his own if she took that opportunity to prove his love, away from him. Most women are born ready for marriage while most men spend their early years fighting it. When a man proposes, it’s about more than him “putting a ring on it.” He should have consulted the woman’s family and asked her father (or male guardian’s) permission for her hand in marriage. It’s a right of passage for men to come to the realization that they can no longer live without that woman in their life.

Danielle Young, Lifestyle Editor

A friend of mine once told me that a woman should never ask a man out on a date because you’ll never know if the man is interested in you or not. I shunned that way of thinking because I am an aggressive woman who doesn’t wait on anyone for anything. However, now that I have given his theory a chance, I see how effective it is. It’s like being chosen. There’s no questioning his commitment when he chooses you. Women are always ready to commit, so when a man is ready, buys a ring and gets down on one knee, you know it’s real. I know that these days a lot of people want to challenge gender roles, but to me, the man will always be the head and the woman…the neck. Allow the man to make the choice that he wants to commit his forever to you and however the union works out, at least you know that your man wasn’t forced into making the decision and you didn’t do something so not ladylike, like get down on one knee. And if he doesn’t want to marry you, he won’t ask. You should never force a commitment on anyone.

Sonya Eskridge, Night Editor

I’m pretty traditional when it comes to this subject, so I think this is a terrible idea. What would I look like popping the question to him? Even then, he may not take the engagement seriously. Did you see how long it took Jim Jones to propose to Chrissy after she’d already asked him to marry her?! Not to mention, Chrissy didn’t feel engaged until he proposed to her! If a man wants to marry you, he’ll ask when he’s ready. I think a lot of times, women get so focused on wanting to tie the knot that some of us don’t care who pops the question. In my opinion, it’s a mistake. Don’t get me wrong; it’s a good thing to discuss your intentions and desires to make sure that you and your man are on the same page. Maybe you should leave the proposal to him, though, so you know that he’s really given marriage a lot of thought. You don’t want to be committing to someone in a manner that leaves you wonder for the rest of your life if he really wanted to be married or not.

Jade Earle, Editorial Assistant

There are a few things that my parents and I may not see eye-to-eye on when it comes to relationships, but the tradition of marriage isn’t one of them. My mom talked a lot about what it means for a man to love a woman and one of the things she taught me is that a woman should never chase after a man’s heart. If your partner truly wants to make a lifetime commitment with you, I think that will be revealed to you before — sometimes years before — he even decides on what ring to buy. Therefore, a woman shouldn’t feel the need to take matters into her own hands to “wake him up” or “shake him” into it. If you’re relationship is really balanced, the topic of marriage shouldn’t be one that makes the man or the woman hesitate on. If both of you want to get married, then both of you will know. Most of these videos I see of women proposing, the men don’t look as if they’re taking it serious at all (maybe because they said they didn’t want it in the first place?) and even hesitate to give their girlfriends a hug! Some women should do themselves (and their pretty dress) a favor and not force something that isn’t meant to be. Who so findeth a wife, finds a good thing, and if he really knows what’s good for him, he’ll act accordingly.

What do you think Beauties? Sound Off in the comment section! 

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