The times might be changing, but apparently, some traditions are here to stay.
It's long been tradition for the man to get down on one knee and ask for the woman's hand in marriage. But traditions change, social norms progress, and gender roles evolve. So we can't help but wonder — is it time for women to propose marriage? Isn't it OK for ladies to pop the question?
Surprisingly, most people say no.
More on MSN Living: GQ's foolproof guide to online dating
Ten surprising facts about putting a ring on it.
If you're planning to pop the question, today's a special day: National Proposal Day. John Michael O'Loughlin invented the unofficial holiday, which falls on March 20, to encourage the act of getting down on one knee. He was inspired after seeing his cousin's boyfriend string her along for years.
To help ring in Proposal Day (pun totally intended), we've compiled some stats and facts about getting engaged. Have a read, and, if you feel so inspired — put a ring on it.
Is 'Dirty Talk' on your syllabus this semester?
Spring is in the air, and for quite a few colleges, so is "Sex Week."
Sex Week is a full week of classes and events dedicated to sex and relationship topics; Yale, Harvard and a handful of other universities have made it an annual tradition. Yesterday, for example, Brown University wrapped up their weeklong sex-ed agenda with a "Lace and Leather Burlesque Workshop."
A bitter how-we-met story with a sweet ending.
"You had to find a spot between corpses in order to lie down," Howard Kleinberg told ABC News. It was 1945, and Howard was in the Bergen-Belsen Nazi concentration camp in Germany. He was in charge of carrying bodies into pits — approximately 70,000 people died at Bergen-Belsen.
It's hard to believe that romance could manage to blossom in such a ghastly place. But it was at this concentration camp that Howard met Nancy, his future wife.
"I felt I had to lie down in order to meet my maker," Kleinberg said. He collapsed among the bodies, and that's when he heard the voice of a young girl.
"He's still alive. He's still alive, and we should save him."
Eighteen is too young for the porn industry, one writer argues.
At 18, you may be able to vote, but you still face a myriad of restrictions: you can't buy beer, you can't gamble in most places, and you can't purchase a handgun. As one Washington Post writer points out:
"Heck, Carnival Cruise Lines won't even let under-21s book a stateroom."
But one thing you can do? Porn.
The latest in online dating matches you up on group dates with free drinks.
Just to make things clear, when it comes to Grouper, we’re not talking about the fish. It’s actually a dating site (or as they prefer, social club) that sets you and your two best friends up with another group of three friends.
Does it feel weird to address your partner by name?
Honey, baby, sweetie—there are plenty of names we bestow upon our significant others. But oddly enough, many couples rarely address each other by their actual first names.
The Heart Beat asked 10 random people about their relationship behavior. Nine out of ten revealed that they use a nickname rather than a first name when referring to each other. And in fact, the "one in 10" guy who said his partner calls him by his first name later bashfully admitted:
"Okay. Sometimes I'm known as Bubba."
Most brides decide to ditch their maiden names. Is it time for a social overhaul?
It's been a contentious question lately—why should women change their last names after marriage? A headline from The Guardian, for example, reads: "Let men change theirs."
Well, one man did. Jonathan Camery-Hoggatt married Rebecca Jones, and both of them decided to adopt a new last name, according to his piece written for the Huffington Post. While his reasons for the change are simple enough, Jonathan explains the subtle impact surnames have on our society.
