Horrified women SLAM the idea of an unexpected public marriage proposal - but what do you think?

Public proposals appear to have added an extra fear factor for women hoping to stay out of the spotlight and avoid online ridicule for saying no.

Rejection videos shared online are met either with support or shaming, demanding a 'yes' to save their partner humiliation.

Whether it's in front of a man dressed as Elmo in Times Square or your entire family gathered round, publicly proposing can be found manipulative and a form of coercion to say yes from added pressure by onlookers.

And the people of Reddit seem to agree.

A post on the site's notorious Am I the A**hole thread detailed one woman's experience of being publicly proposed to ten months into their relationship.

Public proposals appear to have added an extra fear factor for women hoping to stay out of the spotlight and avoid online ridicule for saying no

A post on the site's notorious Am I the A**hole thread detailed one woman's experience of being publicly proposed to ten months into their relationship 

The 22-year-old was dating her boyfriend, 26, while she was continuing her studies and he was job hunting. They had never discussed marriage apart from knowing they were both dating with intentions of eventually tying the knot. 

They had only been living together for four months and after such a short time she felt that they were not at a stage where they were ready for marriage.

But he took her to dinner celebrating her birthday and, surrounded by a crowd of people, he popped the question.

She wrote: 'I've seen too many embarrassing public rejections and I just couldn't do that to him, so... I said yes, I knew it was wrong so when I hugged him, I whispered: "We'll need to talk in private." He smiled but was visibly nervous.'

Later, she was faced with having to tell him she didn't want to embarrass him in public and she didn't want to get married yet.

'I was hurt that he didn't consult me first. Obviously things got heated because he realized his proposal was basically fake, I thought I compromised by asking if we could do a long engagement to figure life/things out. He agreed, but has been cold to me since.

'I know I was wrong, and I respect him for being hurt, but am I truly the a***hole?'

This sentiment is felt by many women who have been in a similar position, or those who dread a public proposal - not only for the feeling of public humiliation, but also facing the internet's wrath.

Rejection videos shared online are met either with support or shaming, demanding a 'yes' to save their partner humiliation

Michele Velazquez, co-owner of a professional proposal planning company called The Heart Bandits, said: 'An introvert would be mortified by a flash mob proposal in a mall'

One user responded saying: 'It's an extreme form of peer pressure. NO ONE wants to be that B**** Who Rejected The Guy in front of all the cameras and family and friends. That's the stuff viral videos are made of.'

Another agreed, saying: 'I knew someone that turned her significant other down at a baseball game. He had pulled strings to get them on the field and proposed. She turned him down simply because she didn't feel ready to marry him yet. 

'She became the most hated woman in our city, got death threats and was stalked by multiple people. They, of course, broke up. She was shocked he proposed because they had not discussed marriage at all and he suddenly surprised her.'

Many commented on the possibility that a public proposal is not as sweet as it seems.

While the stakes are high for the one presenting the ring, there's a belief that those awkward public proposals stem from selfishness and lack consideration for their partner's feelings.

Someone wrote: 'It was awful. My ex was all about attention on himself. I had driven hours to watch him perform at a college basketball event. I almost didn't go, but I got a lot of pressure from his sister to go watch him. It was a big crowd, and his family was all there.'

They quickly noticed a shift in atmosphere and with cameras pointing at her from every angle, she was ready to bolt.

'It was one of the worst moments of stage fright in my life. In hindsight, I should've realized that my feelings were not important to him and took that as a sign as to how the future would be with him.'

The user described hiding the details of the proposal from her family, due to embarrassment. Her now ex-husband is due to marry the woman he cheated on her with but the video of her proposal haunts her as the owner refused to take it down as it was 'their most liked video ever.'

This experience appears to be all too common, with another user sharing a proposal at her birthday party adding the same complications.

Another said: 'My boyfriend at the time proposed at my birthday party in front of everyone. Because everyone was watching, and I didn't want to make a scene, I felt that I had no option but to say yes, even though he was manipulative and not a nice person. We broke up shortly after, but it was not pleasant when everyone thought we were happily getting married.'

Michele Velazquez, co-owner of a professional proposal planning company called The Heart Bandits, told The Knot: 'An introvert would be mortified by a flash mob proposal in a mall. They may prefer a private location with no one else around.'

She added the pressure that comes with proposing in the first place is only exemplified in public: 'This pressure is felt by the proposer because they know everyone is watching, and they are hoping for a yes, and it also makes the proposee feel pressured to say yes.'

Users on Reddit echoed similar ideas, saying that often the discussion of marriage was not had beforehand resulting in an embarrassing 'no' for both parties.

One commenter posted: 'This is why you shouldn't do public proposals if you haven't talked about it and know for sure the person you're asking will say yes AND want it done in front of others. Some of us are introverts and would be horrified and uncomfortable with a public display like that. It's also concerning that he doesn't know you well enough to know you wouldn't want a public proposal.'

Not everyone was completely against the idea, some agreed the romantic gesture could be exactly what your partner might like. The key seems to be understanding your partner, and talking about it first.

On a Reddit thread dedicated to discussing the idea of public proposals, another said: 'I think it's super sweet as long as the proposer knows their partner loves public proposals and would love to have it happening to them, and both have discussed wanting to get married soon. People who put their SO on the spot is doing something manipulative, whether they intend to or not.'

Others weren't completely against a public proposal, just a crowd. as one said on the same thread that they were proposed to in public but in the botanical gardens away from any crowds.

'I would have been very shy and self conscious during even though my answer wouldn't have changed. It was nice to have that more private moment as he popped the question.'

Wedding planner experts on The Knot have shared the do's and don'ts for planning a 'smooth and memorable' public proposal.