New Relationship Markers On The Rise: Overpriced Engagement Rings, Wedding Bands Now Out Of Trend

Decades ago, rings spoke volumes about a woman's status in a relationship, but now, more women dared to go bare-fingered. This tradition, however, gradually changed as couples opted to skip the status symbol because in this era, it turns out that, the new "ring" comes in different ways like cohabiting and tattoos.

The shift in relationship markers could be attributed to couple's financial decisions. The Washington Post (via Toronto Star) reported that the average engagement ring cost around $6,000 and instead of wearing the thousands-worth on their fingers, some women would rather use it to pay bills.

Rebecca Vipond-Brink was one of those women. She said that aside from the fact that the ring could solve many of their financial struggles, it also made her feel unsafe.

In fact, more couples spend less on engagement rings in these modern times. Per Metro, people spent 19 percent less on rings compared to those who splurged 10 years ago.

 

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After her first failed marriage, Vipond-Brink skipped the engagement ring because, for her, it served no legitimate utility except for telling the world she is already engaged. Instead, she and her partner cohabited.

Like Vipond-Brink, one-third of the modern women chose to live together with their partner. Compared in 1998, more couples cohabited in 2016, according to a Pew Research. For some, cohabiting spoke stronger of the couple's commitment instead of a ring that can be lost anytime.

Others, meanwhile, opted to have a relationship marker that can last permanently. If Vipond-Brink and her partner chose to cohabit, others chose to have their ring fingers tattooed instead.

Even the biggest stars do it. People reported that Beyonce and Jay Z may have wed but they chose to just have their ring fingers tattooed instead of using wedding bands as relationship markers.

Stephen Curry and wife, Ayesha, had their fingers inked, too. Per CBS Sports, the pair got their wedding bands, but during times when Curry cannot wear his because of his basketball games, it served as a permanent mark that symbolized commitment when rings can't do its job.

What do you think of the new-age relationship markers? Do you agree that rings are not a necessity nowadays in a relationship? Share to us your thoughts by commenting below!