Woman proposes to boyfriend, leaves internet divided over his unenthusiastic response: Watch video

woman flipped the traditional script of proposals by popping the question herself, but the man's response left netizens disappointed.

Proposals are usually associated with grand reactions, from loud gasps, tears of happiness, to shaky hands and nervous giggles. The emotions become palpable and amplified manyfold, especially when the proposal is accepted. As one of life's most memorable milestones, whether a proposal happens in a quiet, intimate place or in public as a surprising spectacle, it is expected to carry visible excitement. But not all such moments follow the familiar script.

A woman proposed to her boyfriend but the internet is not feeling any romance between them. Picture: Google Gemini

A woman proposed to her boyfriend but the internet is not feeling any romance between them. Picture: Google Gemini

A video posted on December 29 on social media, where a woman proposed to her boyfriend, went viral for his lukewarm response. It got people talking online, sharing their varied responses on emotional reciprocity, especially when it comes to a major event like a proposal.

What was the proposal like?

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The proposal was unconventional on many fronts. But not all of them were negative, as here in this case, the girlfriend went down on one knee to propose, a role that is conventionally expected of the boyfriend.

Her boyfriend was seated in sofa, accompanied by their family. The setting appeared intimate and festive, with everyone dressed in matching red and white pants that reflected a sense of holiday cheer. The woman then held his hands and said, “I love you, and I wanna spend the rest of my life with you, and I couldn't think of a better time than to do it in front of our family.”

After expressing herself, she went down on one knee and popped the question. But his response did not reveal any overt excitement. He simply nodded and said, “yeah” while their family gasped with “Oh my God.” Then he stood up and hugged his family.

However, netizens were quick to point out the man's lack of enthusiasm, expressing concern over the absence of emotional reciprocity. In proposals, reactions generally mirror one another, especially when the answer is a yes.

Reactions

Most of the reactions online pointed out the stark contrast between the girlfriend'sjovial proposal and the man'semotionally flat response. Given how lacklustre the reaction was, one user wrote, “I’m so happy for you and your acquaintance!”

Another user was sceptical, noting that excitement is natural in a proposal, and given the absence of it, the entire thing may be staged. But then it can also be sarcastically noted. "Is this staged? He seems less than thrilled. This is fake, right?"

Some comments unanimously stated that she deserves much better and should try to find a partner who matches her energy and commitment. “Not the platonic patting of the back after he says ‘yeah',” one wrote, pointing at the lack of romantic affection.

Others pointed out that the family members were more excited than he was.

One user warned the woman to reconsider the relationship, sharing an example. “Darling, if this is REALITY, please rethink. One of my loved ones finished a relationship where he lacked energy, enthusiasm (similar to this guy), and she did 90% of the heavy lifting in the union. Soon after, she walked into a relationship with an enthusiastic, high-energy man. Happier days.”

These types of relationships, which involve imbalanced emotional engagement, often don't work out, where one partner is always the giver and the other the taker.

But someone shared a different perspective.

“Someone on this situation (on another page) commented about not knowing the man’s neurological development and not knowing if they’re on the spectrum etc but that’s valid given not everyone responds/reacts the same and there could of been a reason why he didn’t make the move in the proposal. You can see in his eyes that the man adores her. It just may look a bit different to us. I never thought of it that way until that comment because I was about to judge until I read that.”

It suggests that appearances can be misleading, and his lack of enthusiasm does not necessarily indicate disinterest; it could potentially be related to a psychological or neurological factor that many may not be aware of.