Gender and Dating Relationships

In this article the author was saying how many women use marriage and the ring as accessories. The author compared real-life marriage stories to the movies and how many women in the relationship want the ring - some even as an escape from love. I reflected on my parent's love stories as well as the other love stories we had heard in class. Each and every one stated that their love and their relationship is not like the movies. Relationships need work and time and commitment, something the movies do not show at all. I think the author made very good points in his article. His one story about how his girl friends didn't want to take their fiance's surname - it was too sexist and gender-dominant for them.  However, I believe that taking the man's name is traditional and nice, but I do understand that it is not for everyone. I liked how the couple agreed to both take each others names.
Compared to my families' experiences and my parents' love story, I think that my parents had it right. One thing my mom told me was that when her and my dad got engaged, all of their friends and families were like, "Finally!" because they had been dating for so long. Another thing is that the couple needs to talk about marriage and their  future life together. One women in the article stated that her and her boyfriend hadn't talked about it all because she wanted the proposal to be a surprise. I would want my proposal to be a surprise but that doesn't mean I don't have to talk to my future husband about it! Sure, you will know that you ARE getting engaged but when and where and how will all still be a mystery!