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Question to everyone but especially US Americans: do you guys have a problem with love?
watching TV shows it seems like two people are essentially a couple. they're kissing, they're fucking, they care about each other, they go on dates, etc. But they never say "I love you", they never officialize a relationship, they never put a ring on their fingers - unless they're literally getting married, which kinda seems to come out of nowhere to me, like they're missing important steps in the relationship? First you establish how you feel ("I love you"), then you start Officially Dating (being each other's boyfriend/girlfriend/partner), have a ring on their fingers, *then* it's appropriate to ask if they wanna marry you (and subsequently get married).
But it seems like it's quite normal to be acting like they're together for months or years, never defining anything with words, and it's CLEAR that they both love each other. and then suddenly one day they're like "i can't imagine my life without you (I've noticed they often don't even say "I love you" at this fucking point???? but sometimes they do), will you marry me?" and finally offering a fucking ring.
like. is it just a dumb TV show thing? or is it normal irl as well, to simply not have a logical progression, and just assume the other person loves you back without ever having them say that to you or you to them, in order to ask them to marry you? idk
in my country it's very normal to be like "casually dating" someone (exclusively! bc it's different if you're both just "seeing people") like these TV shows show, for a while (usually 1-3 months, seldom more than 6 bc that would be considered leading someone on), until you both decide you have strong feelings for each other and want to officialize a relationship. at which point it's expected you'll both start wearing rings (simple bands, often silver, on the right hand) to show your commitment. at this point, you have already said I Love You to each other - if you spend 6 months with someone and those words haven't been said yet, either you're both just hanging out with no intention of getting in a relationship ever, or someone's being led on.
like I'm just confused. I've seen this happen in a bunch of different shows. the participants are all grown adults, so it's not like they're teenagers fumbling their first love (hey, it happens to the best of us). it's shown like the normal thing. what the fuck sometimes they're even cohabiting, how do you live with someone you kiss and fuck and love without telling them you love them??? mindblowing
please tell me it's just a TV show thing. thank you