Ring by spring. The “ring by spring” phenomenon is no stranger to pop culture. The term “ring by spring” recently resurged after TikTok interviews with students at Brigham Young University (BYU) went viral. Many of these young adults flaunt diamond rings on campus as young as nineteen years old. Interviewees recalled old roommates and friends who had gotten engaged prematurely. The “ring by spring” phrase has roots in Christian culture however, can be seen in celebrity culture as well; the most recent example being Millie Bobby Brown’s engagement.
At just nineteen years old, Brown has made quite a name for herself starring as Eleven in Netflix’s “Stranger Things”. The star shocked fans when she came to Instagram to announce her engagement to 20 year Jake Bongiovi, one of rockstar Bon Jon Jovi’s four children. Brown posted a photo of her and Bongiovi hugging while she flashes a diamond ring. The caption read, “I’ve loved you three summers now, honey, I want ‘em all,” lyrics from Taylor Swift’s hit song “Lover”. Brown’s engagement has sparked controversy and conversation all across the internet to answer one question; is nineteen too young to get engaged?
An Instagram poll and questionnaire conducted on the BVW Spotlight’s story invited students to share their true feelings toward marriage. Twenty-seven students responded to a question asking “What is the ideal age to get engaged?” The average answer was twenty-five years old. Some students even opted for younger ages.
“I would say,” junior Rylie Zhang responded, “at least out of college so 22 or 23.”
One hundred and thirty students responded to a survey asking if “19 is too young to get engaged?” 65% of voters believed that nineteen was too young to be engaged. 22% however disagreed with nineteen being too young. The remaining 17% believed that there were more factors at play. Voters believed that each case needs to be viewed through a situational lens rather than generalization.
Finally, we asked students their personal thoughts regarding Brown’s engagement.
“She’s too young,” junior Rebeca Flores responded, “but, she has money so she can do whatever she wants!”
Other respondents didn’t even know Brown had been dating someone. Some called the engagement “questionable” and emphasized her age.
While many are shocked by Brown’s announcement, she is not the first celebrity to engage in “ring by spring” culture. One notable example comes from Kim Kardashian’s 2002 decision to marry music producer Damon Thomas.
Kardashian was freshly nineteen when she and Thomas, 30, got eloped. Their marriage crumbled the following year. Fans were concerned that Kardashian had been groomed due to the pair’s large age gap.
While Brown and Bongiovi have a much smaller age gap, only spanning a year and a half, fans are drawing comparisons between them and another star-studded engagement.
Macaulay Culkin and Rachel Miner said “I do” when they were both 18. Culkin proposed when both parties were 17, requiring special permission from their parents. The pair divorced in 2002 after 4 years of marriage. The split was amicable and the two remain friends.
Critics are concerned that Brown’s eventual marriage will lead to an early divorce. Whatever the future might hold, fans of Brown are supportive and in favor of her announcement.