A Nigerian woman, Sylvia Ekpeumoh, has expressed her preference for receiving an engagement ring without the traditional gesture of kneeling, following the circulation of a viral photo showing a woman kneeling during her marriage proposal.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Ekpeumoh stated that she would be comfortable receiving a ring via waybill or simply handed to her while walking, rather than participating in what she described as a “dramatic” proposal.
“I’m not asking any man to put up any drama to propose to me. Just waybill the ring to me, or give it to me as we are walking on the road. That’s fine by me,” she wrote.
She further clarified her stance on traditional proposals, saying, “If you choose to turn the whole thing into a carnival, you should be the one kneeling down to give me the ring, not the other way. It’s still ok by me if you choose not to kneel at all, but asking me to kneel to collect a ring is a big NO. Keep your ring. Sha congratulations oo, but not me.”
Ekpeumoh’s post has sparked conversations online about modern dating and marriage proposal expectations in Nigeria.