Ed Sheeran’s recent engagement to his long-time girlfriend, Cherry Seaborn, was a glorious occasion in and of itself. After all, who doesn’t deserve a happily ever after?
However, what has sparked even more of a conversation is Ed Sheeran’s new accessory: his engagement ring.
While this was the first time I’d ever heard of a man receiving an engagement ring, it actually makes a lot of sense and reflects the current environment of gender equality.
After all, why shouldn’t men wear engagement rings?
While somewhat of a new topic, men wearing engagement rings is not a new concept by any means, nor is Ed Sheeran the first celebrity to be given one by their significant other. Male celebrities, ranging from the Pitch Perfect star Skylar Astin to pro wrestler David Otunga, have been receiving a proposal, an engagement ring, or both, from their fiancées for years.
While coverage of male engagement rings is pretty exclusive to celebs, I am sure there are plenty of other normal people who have embraced this idea and simply aren’t discussed in the media.
The significance of an engagement is this idea of mutual commitment. So, why are women the only ones expected to make a display of it?
Ed Sheeran and Skylar Astin echo this, saying how they’d never understood in the first place why men don’t wear an engagement ring.
It goes back to the archaic gender roles in which women were regarded as child-like and needing protection from the corrupting powers of the outside world, while men were expected to take on a more unhindered existence in society.
Gender equality and women empowerment are somewhat buzz terms in current news.
Whether it be the recent “Time’s Up” and “#MeToo” movements to end sexual assault and bring awareness to sexual assault, or the empowering message of the new movie, A Wrinkle In Time, women’s role in encouraging and empowering women is a prominent current.
However, a less talked about topic is men’s role in women empowerment.
Equality is not solely the plight of women: pursuing equality is the responsibility of every individual, regardless of sex, gender, or ethnicity. The reversal and invalidation of archaic gender roles and social spheres in all aspects of life is relevant to all of us.
The practice of both men and women wearing engagement rings presents an opportunity to validate this push towards inclusion and equality.
Pursuing equality in the very symbol meant to communicate love and commitment has the powerful ability to strengthen the narrative surrounding equality in a cornerstone of our lives: our relationships.
I don’t know about you, but I’m growing really fond of the idea of giving my future significant other an engagement ring as a symbol of our love and as a symbol of our stance on the mutual equality and respect that should exist in relationships and in society.
