Photo: Facebook
Probably wasn't the best place to propose...
By Nia Tipton — Written on Dec 29, 2022
While proposals are supposed to be the happiest moment for a couple, such wasn't the case for one man.
In a video that has since gone viral, an Australian man is being criticized for how he decided to propose to his girlfriend.
He is being accused of 'stealing' his girlfriend's moment by proposing to her at her graduation.
In a video posted to social media, an unnamed man, dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt, is seen approaching his girlfriend during her graduation ceremony at LaTrobe University in Melbourne.
He walks onto the stage after she's received her diploma, stopping her from walking off with his presence.
"Stay right here ... I love you with all my heart," he tells her, placing his hands on her forearms to keep her in place.
He then gets down on one knee, to the surprise of the audience, who all gasp in anticipation, and proposes to her.
The viral video garnered many mixed reviews, with some users praising the man and congratulating the couple, while others weren't as impressed with the proposal.
Feminist commentator Clementine Ford fell under the hordes of people who took issue with the unnamed man choosing to propose to his girlfriend at her graduation ceremony.
In Ford's response video, she slammed the man for trying to "steal" his girlfriend's moment.
"Stop doing this. That is her moment," Ford said. "She just graduated. We don't know under what conditions she went to university, we don't know how hard that was for her, but she did it by herself."
Ford criticized the boyfriend and his decision, which ultimately ended up taking away a "moment she will never get back."
She pointed out that the woman's boyfriend made a day that was supposed to be celebrating an enormous achievement of her graduating college, to now be a celebration of her engagement.
"Stop f-king stealing women's moments from them," she angrily stated. "They do not belong to you. They are not yours to have."
She also criticized the audience members at the graduation ceremony who applauded, saying they shouldn't have "indulged" the moment.
Ford's video garnered support from other users, who agreed the man ruined his girlfriend's day.
"It’s also laziness. All the arrangements and an audience to create the “special moment” are in place, so they just barge in like, 'Oh, I’m so wonderful. Look how much I love you,'" one user pointed out.
Another user inquired about how he had been able to get on the stage in the first place, writing, "That in itself is strange. The last graduation I went to it would have been impossible."
"They think it's romantic for them to do it in public in front of everyone, like they're being vulnerable risking humiliation," a third user chimed in.
Ford directly responded to the comment, agreeing with the observation, and criticizing the entire proposal being filmed.
"So if she says no, guess who gets [demonized] online for the next few months."
Ford's video even attracted the attention of LaTrobe University, where the proposal happened, who immediately issued an apology underneath her response video.
"We made an error of judgment today - our graduation ceremonies are all about celebrating student achievement," a representative wrote.
"This event detracted from that important acknowledgment of our students' success - we have removed the post."
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.