To paraphrase one of the most annoying commercial on TV at the moment, imho. The "Every kiss begins with Kay". For you who don't know, Kay is a jeweller store chain... and soon is the most important time of the year, apart from Valentine's day and Mother's day of course, for diamonds. As the commercial goes, it is fairly obvious. Woman stares into fireplace/snowstorm/other random semi-romatic place when the man sweeps up from behind and present the little box .... they kiss and they live happily ever after. Sometimes there is a baby in there and the woman holds the baby and the man sweeps in from behind and the baby has the present in her/his hand. Or there is a voice over with a little reading story "once upon a time Santa was in the house since the man loves his wife so..." or something like that.
Don't get me wrong. I love romance as much as anyone. I am just a tad bit over-sensitive about this whole "if the man loves you, he would give you a diamond necklace/earrings/ring/wedding and engagement ring", which implies that if he doesn't give you [expensive] things, he doesn't love you. (Since the commercial is played quite a few times when I have happened to be in front of the TV, the amount of them that I have seen might influence the irritation I feel?)
Of course, maybe I am just bitter - after all, this starts the thought process "how many diamonds do I have?" ;)
side note:
I can see this as an easy quantitative measurement of "how much does he loves you" (like papers from researchers is a measurement as discussed at Nature Network) if it wasn't for a few simple things. It's too simplistic, poor people can love too, and how does the man measure the love from the woman then? (I mean, she doesn't give things to him.... implying she doesn't have money and all that jazz.) Or maybe that was never part of the equation since she (one assumes in this fairy tale a la historic times/50ies) agrees to marry him after he proposes? So many questions, so much irritation from this women's rights/feministic corner. All because of one silly commercial... sometimes I just wish I didn't care so much about small things. Or just saw a romantic moment with a man loving a woman giving her a diamond necklace, not a political statement. It's Crazy(Christmas)times for sure.
And I know that there are a lot of women out there who make less than their husbands (therefore making sense that the richer gives the less rich etc) and I do like getting pressies from my loved one (and other people, I don't discriminate - I like pressies). It's just the whole combination and that it is all about EXPENSIVE things to PROVE you are WORTH it (the love?). That's my main rub, today as yesterday as - most likely - tomorrow. I like pressies in general since they show that someone thought of me. If they are expensive I tend to be more uncomfortable... if they fit me, I am happy. Special pressies are better than expensive ones. Then again, I am not in it for the money or adoration from others who oogle my stuff and think I am rich. Come to think of it, maybe that is my main problem? ^^ Nah, I probably have a good heap of them. (seeing that I am ranting now, time to stop and prepare for the work week!)
*Killing here is me. Me getting killed, a small part of me dying every time this commercial comes on (a lot!). Or me killing the TV or the commercial or shouting at the telly and the people in the commercial... nothing drives me more insane than realising that I am humming the jingle in the lab while pipetting buffer. I mean really?!?!?! Talk about subconscious imprinting.
8 comments:
That, my dear, is why we don't have a TV!! Anything we want to watch gets streamed. No soul killing commercials. :)
Hub gave me a little flawless diamond for an engagement ring. It (doesn't) shows exactly what I want:
1. paid for in cash- he's responsible
2. not flashy- none of your business about our status
3. flawless- yes, its perfect, but you wouldn't know that would you?
4. That he cares as little about outward status as I do.
and a bonus for me: doesn't draw attention to my nail bitten hands.
PUI :) no TV saves a lot of trouble.
The ring sounds great though! Don't know if it would save me since there are no nail bitten hands, just square hands with shorter fingers ;)
Ugh. I hear you. Those commercials make me want to stab things for all the reasons you mention.
AA: good to know I am not alone....
In my case, K is for me killing someone every time I see that stupid commercial or hear that stupid jingle. It's annoying and the jewelry isn't really very attractive anyway. I'd much rather have my husband get my car washed and an oil changed for a year than get some ugly diamond-encrusted heart.
I hate that commercial too! It irks me that it presents the woman as scared of the big bad storm, in need of protection. I too feel like throwing things at the tv when the commercial comes on.
That said, I would like (LOVE) it, if mr.sm would actually think of purchasing me a nice set of diamond studs...
Horrible commercial. I choose to wear a lab-created diamond because of the way I feel about the diamond industry.
MXX: I thought to bfore... and now the little iggly wiggly doubt crawls in there sometimes.. "have a diamond? no? naww.... *muchy understanding sighing*"
SM: that's part of it for me too. They are scared of the dark and the man can comfort... Studs are the ones I am sort of tempted by. On the other hand, I can buy them myself :)
CE: that is another way of looking at it, haven't really thought of it but it is true. Diamond industry is bloody and dirty. Sierra Leone?
I wonder if emeralds are better? Probably not... hmm.. dark green synthetic stones it is!
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