Getting Engaged for Engagement — The Lexington Line

There has been an undeniably upward trend in the number of dancing diamonds we see across our social media pages. Diamonds are everywhere. They catch the eye of a looker, representing wealth, status, or anything you want that you don't yet have. There's something deeper behind these diamonds: in comes the engagement ring.

Emerald, marquis, pear, oval galore, these girls are taking over the Manhattan skyline and sought-after destinations all across Europe with their aesthetic; each ready to shoot engagements on various rooftops.

2025 was loaded with engagement posts one after another: Danielle Bernstein, Sara Walker, Brigette Pheloung, Brooke Schofield, and even Dua Lipa.

Going into 2026, two eternally-cool NYC girls—Halley Kate and Eva Gutowski—have officially joined the club after getting engaged with their own spouses.

This flux of engagements almost takes away the lust, the surprise, and the magic. This is nearly a new credential for becoming a successful influencer. Having the perfect engagement set up by your boyfriend, who hired a whole camera crew and photographers so you could monetize this incredibly intimate moment.

While yes, it is brilliant for these women to monetize their engagements, it hurts me to see it. I find myself getting wrapped up in these reels, gushing over how adorable they are. But, as soon as they break the fourth wall and reach for their phone, my heart shatters. It feels awkward thinking about them having to pause such a vulnerable moment just to set up their phone.

The especially fascinating part is that many of these women had something very successful happen in their careers right after their engagement. Some of them gained a collab with a big company, while others gained millions of followers. Which makes me think, did they really have the perfect engagement, or the perfect PR stunt?

Yes, it’s nice to assume these women are very in love and excited about getting married. I also think it’s a very interesting trend that influenced some other influencers to take the same business approach. This trend is something these influencers can talk about, plan for, and make countless “try on” videos that will guarantee views; it’s a cheat code. If they already have the platform, they know they have the ability to make millions of dollars off this engagement and wedding series. The plan is as profitable as it is genius.

It’s a funny time we live in, but ultimately, every generation has had their fair share of business-deal marriages. I’m glad the cool girl is finally the one benefiting in this scenario. May these girls get the proposal, and the $70,000 ring of their dreams, because while this is fascinating to observe and dissect, it would be blasphemous to say they don’t influence my perspective for my future marrige in any way.