Nearby “Older Woman” Has the Purest Reaction to Woman Proposing to Her Girlfriend

art museum engagement

Photo credit: Eduardo Sanchez Perry

When law student Jessica Rodriguez proposed to her girlfriend Chelsea Miller, they never expected their engagement to go viral. But thanks to the reaction of one stranger, the two have seen an outpouring of support from around the world. The couple, who live in Chicago, got engaged in the Art Institute of Chicago museum among the classical sculptures. Rodriguez had photographer Eduardo Sanchez Perry capture the unforgettable moment on camera. Although the two stylish women are the stars of this picture, Perez also caught the bystander’s reaction, and it's so sweet that it can’t be ignored. Watching the entire scene unfold before her eyes, the stranger smiles with a joy that's so radiant, it's palpable.

Rodriguez’s younger brother Carlos shared the now-famous photograph on Twitter with the message, “My sister proposed to her GF today and look at that older woman's reaction.” This began a deluge of over 111,000 retweets with people loving her response. “I am the old woman,” Twitter user @theFlemface said.

Rodriguez was so wrapped up in the engagement that she didn’t notice the woman was there until after she looked at the photos. “I loved her reaction! Whoever she is, we are so thankful of her pure reaction,” Rodriguez told BuzzFeed. “She made our moment even more special!” Carlos echoed his sister’s statements, adding, “I am just so happy that a positive LGBT photo went viral. It’s not every day something like this has such [a] positive reaction to the general public.”

art museum engagement

Photo credit: Eduardo Sanchez Perry

art museum engagement

The sign from the engagement.
Photo credit: Eduardo Sanchez Perry

Here's the happy couple after the engagement. Congratulations!

art museum engagement

Photo credit: Eduardo Sanchez Perry

art museum engagement

art museum engagement

h/t: [BuzzFeed]

All images via Jessica Rodriguez unless otherwise stated.

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled "Embroidered Life" that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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