Thinking that 50 percent of women are shallow gold diggers seems a bit high. There are plenty of men who have superficial feelings about how they want their wife to look, but it’s nowhere near 50/50. Usually those gym bros and trophy wives pair up so they’re not really hurting anyone normal with their expectations.

Personally, I wear a silicone ring. So does my spouse. Our rings for our wedding were a hand me down and a band with a non diamond stone. That said, it’s fair to want a ring. It’s fair to want the tradition, and it’s fair to be comforted by the idea that your partner has been thinking about asking you to merge lives for longer than just today. A ring used to mean more when women weren’t allowed their own bank accounts (actually very recently, in the scheme of things), but it’s still meaningful in a society where we’re taught (incorrectly) that men value non commitment, and don’t want to get “chained” to a “nagging wife.”

Funnily, it’s guys who make comments like you (that it’s a total toss up whether any woman has an ounce of substance to her or if she’s a total bimbo who only cares about money) that make women afraid that men are not going to fully commit which is why things like a big unnecessary time commitment before the proposal seems romantic and reassuring