Emerson Phillips
At first glance, it looks like any other celeb engagement ring. But let’s take a closer look.
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Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly, aka MGK, announced their engagement in January. Megan’s ring consists of two jewels, that are her and MGK’s respective birthstones, placed on two separate “bands of thorns” that are connected by magnets.
MGK – whose real name is Colson Baker – recently told Vogue that he designed the ring himself. And the “bands of thorns” are embedded with sharp spikes, meaning that when Megan tries to remove the ring, the thorns dig into her finger and cause pain.
“The ring can come apart to make two rings,” he told Vogue.
“When it’s together, it’s held in place by a magnet. And then it forms an obscure heart. The bands are actually thorns. So if she tries to take it off, it hurts. Love is pain.”
Now, consider that engagement rings originated as a symbol of male ownership, and you understand why some fans think the design could be communicating some potentially harmful messages about love and pain. The argument being that MGK’s claim that “love is pain” might play into the normalization of abusive behaviors in relationships under the guise of passion.
And while the design didn’t go over particularly well online, some fans were quick to discuss the important factor of consent before criticizing the couple’s personal choices.
Which begs the question: Are Megan and MGK in a consensual BDSM relationship?
“Yes, is that ok with you?” Fox said. “Because that’s what I want. I feel sexual power in that way, by experiencing it that way.”
Megan was candid about the public response to her and MGK’s relationship dynamic and how it seems to have unfairly disrupted people’s perceptions of her feminism and sexuality.
“I shouldn’t be outcast from the feminist community, because that is something that I prefer for myself,” she said.
“Allowing us (women) to experience what we want in life, what we like. That is feminism.”
