Photo: Source
To
love and cherish yourself: the self-love ring
The recent movements of
body positivity and self-appreciation have been long needed and long overdue.
But some people have opted to take the process one step further and show their
love for themselves with the same grand display one would usually reserve for a
significant other. Yes, people are even marrying themselves in a rising trend
known as 'sologamy'. Is it a positive display of self-empowerment? Or teetering
on the edge of narcissism?
Starting
self-love
The idea of liking
yourself so much you put a ring on it started around 2016. It’s not known
exactly what drove the trend, as women have been preaching self-appreciation
for many years! But it could be down to a combination of these things:
The rise of social media
platforms like Snapchat and Instagram has encouraged women to love themselves.
Although seeing filtered beach bodies on our news feed isn’t always great,
there have been many women who have posted photos of their natural selves too
and persuaded others to do the same. For example, there was a trend which
involved ‘No Make-up Selfies’a photo of yourself without make-up. Many
celebrities participated in this and told women to love their natural selves!
The selfie culture in general pushes women to appreciate their bodies, as they
post photos of themselves and receive ‘likes’ and comments from their friends
and family.
The influence of
celebrities has encouraged women to love themselves too. Many famous figures
have talked about their tough times growing up and how they’ve learnt to
appreciate themselves. Others have encouraged magazines and photographers to
not edit their photos so that women can see that their bodies are not in fact
flawless.
There has also been a
rise in participants of meditation and mindfulness taking time out of the day
to be present within yourself. Research has shown that it can reduce stress,
depression and anxiety and experts encourage people to take time out of their
day to focus on Meditation interlinks with self-love as it focuses on taking
time out of the day to concentrate on yourself.
The
rings
Self-love rings have been
branded by some as an anti-engagement ring but loving yourself doesn't mean
you've taken yourself off the market, as it were. They are meant to represent
one’s commitment to oneself and a dedication that you’ll put yourself first and
look after your own well-being. They are meant to be worn on your little finger to represent a ‘pinky promise’ to yourself. Some jewellers offered specific
‘pinky’ rings but they can be bought as a smaller regular engagement ring.
Supporters of self-love
displays say that the act can relieve pressure on your partner, as you are no
longer relying solely on them to make you happy. In the wise words of Ru Paul “if you can’t love yourself, how are you going to love anyone else?”
Some people have taken to
buying self-love rings with their best friend, in a sort of very-expensive
version of those friendship bracelets and necklaces you had as a child.
Saying
“I do” to yourself
For some, buying bespoke diamond rings
for yourself isn’t a grand enough gesture of self-love. Some women have gone a
step further and organised entire wedding ceremonies for themselves. The first
sologamous wedding was thought to be in 1993, when an American woman called
Linda Barker married herself in front of her close friends.
There's no legal process
involved in marrying yourself, so you can't divorce yourself after an
embarrassing night drinking, or start a sordid affair against yourself with
your spouse. It’s just a celebration of yourself more than anything. It appears
as though it is more women who are taking part in this than men, possibly as a
protest against the pressures that they often feel to be in a relationship.
What’s the appeal though?
Well, the women who have done this say that:
No comments
Post a comment