On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… popping the question. By The Knot’s estimates, we’re officially entering peak wedding season. And we know there are many, many controversial opinions we could tackle about weddings, but let’s start with that thing that precedes most weddings: the engagement ring.  The ring – especially a diamond one – is an institution that feels like a foregone conclusion for couples taking the next step in their relationship. But does it need to be?  Belinda Luscombe, author of Marriageoloy and editor-at-large at TIME Magazine, joins us to argue for the end of the engagement ring.  If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices