Woman Gets “Pretend” Kidnapped As A Proposal Surprise, Has A Mental Breakdown

The day of your proposal is one you’ll remember for the rest of your life, usually filled with love, romance, and joy. But for some people, it becomes unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.

Redditor u/Cautious-Rabbit recently opened up to the ‘True Off My Chest’ community about the traumatizing events that were seemingly part of a proposal plan. She was fake-kidnapped and brought to her boyfriend, but instead of a romantic look on her face, the woman was flushed with fear after the mortifying experience. Scroll down to find the story in her own words.

Hardly any fear-inducing scenario feels less stressful when it’s considered “a joke”

Woman Gets "Pretend" Kidnapped As A Proposal Surprise, Has A Mental Breakdown

Image credits: MART PRODUCTION (not the actual photo)

This woman was fake-kidnapped for a proposal that left her shaking with fear

Woman Gets "Pretend" Kidnapped As A Proposal Surprise, Has A Mental Breakdown

Image credits: Kipras Zabeliauskas (not the actual photo)

Woman Gets "Pretend" Kidnapped As A Proposal Surprise, Has A Mental Breakdown

Image credits: MART PRODUCTION (not the actual photo)

Woman Gets "Pretend" Kidnapped As A Proposal Surprise, Has A Mental Breakdown

Image credits: MART PRODUCTION (not the actual photo)

Woman Gets "Pretend" Kidnapped As A Proposal Surprise, Has A Mental Breakdown

Image credits: Cautious-Rabbit-

Woman Gets "Pretend" Kidnapped As A Proposal Surprise, Has A Mental Breakdown

Image credits: Anastasia Shuraeva (not the actual photo)

Any proposal requires thorough planning, as every detail has to be carefully considered

Most of the people who want to get married have likely dreamt about the perfect proposal. Whether it’s you getting down on one knee or being on the receiving end, you might have created all kinds of possible scenarios in your head. In such plots, you have to think through hundreds of details, as so many things depend not only on you but on what you believe your partner would like as well.

Some people choose something romantic and intimate, often involving flowers and candles. Others go for a more adventurous option, and propose on a hike or right after they’re done with white water rafting. There are also people who enjoy the excitement of a large crowd and pop the question during a basketball game, for instance. The possibilities are endless, which is why a few might choose to do it in a more unconventional way.

The OP’s boyfriend had planned a proposal that involved fake kidnapping, which ended up being far from the most well-thought-out plan. Likely arranged for the element of surprise before the romantic moment, the kidnapping was not only shocking but completely terrifying as well. By the time she was taken to her boyfriend, the woman was understandably stressed and scared out of her mind.

Woman Gets "Pretend" Kidnapped As A Proposal Surprise, Has A Mental Breakdown

Image credits: Leah Kelley (not the actual photo)

Stressful events can have a strong negative impact, even if they’re staged or carried out as “a joke”

Experiences like this can seriously traumatize a person. During the year 2021 alone, roughly 195,000 of females under 21 and nearly 63,000 of those over the age of 21 were reported missing in the US. Such numbers make the thought of being kidnapped alone absolutely terrifying, not to mention actually being taken into a stranger’s car.

Such stressful events can have long-term negative effects. Even if they’re fake or deemed “a joke”, a person in the OP’s situation doesn’t know that the threat is not actual, which makes their experience and emotions very much real.

Studies show that the psychological consequences of physical assault often involve strong feelings of anxiety, fear, and anger, as well as depression or hypervigilance. Moreover, research on stressful life events and disease risk pointed out that such events are likely to have a negative impact on one’s physical health as well.

The redditors in the comments provided the OP with much-needed support. Luckily, she also had her sister by her side after the terrifying experience. According to the American Psychological Association, seeking social support from those who empathize with you is one of the best ways to cope with a disaster or other traumatic event.

Bored Panda has reached out to the u/Cautious-Rabbit via Reddit, and we’ll update the article once we hear back from her.

The OP answered some of the redditors’ comments

Woman Gets "Pretend" Kidnapped As A Proposal Surprise, Has A Mental Breakdown

Members of the online community were very supportive of the woman

Woman Gets "Pretend" Kidnapped As A Proposal Surprise, Has A Mental Breakdown

A writer here at Bored Panda, I am a lover of good music, good food, and good company, which makes food-related topics and feel-good stories my favorite ones to cover. Passionate about traveling and concerts, I constantly seek occasions to visit places yet personally unexplored. I also enjoy spending free time outdoors, trying out different sports—even if I don’t look too graceful at it—or socializing over a cup of coffee.

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I am a Visual editor at Bored Panda, I'm determined to find the most interesting and the best quality images for each post that I do. On my free time I like to unwind by doing some yoga, watching all kinds of movies/tv shows, playing video and board games or just simply hanging out with my cat

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What do you think ?

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Oskar Hauser 1 year ago

The driver can cooperate and apologize all he wants. He was present. He could have pulled over the car at any time, he could have called the police if he thought he couldn't stop this on his own. This is just despicable.

103points

Joelle Jansen 1 year ago

Exactly, instead of trying to calm them down, he could've literally STOPPED the car get in the back, and explain what's happening. Instead he let his friends assault this woman and scare her half to death.

64points

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Mary Rogers 1 year ago (edited)

Even the original planned "prank" would have been despicable. Being followed and cornered like that is still terrifying to a woman. Even if the "prank" had ended right there, I would not have been amused if I were her. The problem was not *just* with the driver or the other people involved. The problem is also the boyfriend who thought any portion of this stunt would be okay and would put her in a romantic mood to say yes to his proposal. I would seriously reconsider being with him if I were her. While I understand that he didn't think his friends would take it that far (including sexually assaulting her), it still doesn't speak well about his maturity and judgment.

26points

Juanjo 1 year ago

Exactly! if the plan was a "silly fake kidnap, with a letter, and all", from the moment the driver saw the escalade in violence, he should have acted inmediately and fix the situation. All the charges go for him too as a perpetrator.

10points

Margaret Shannon 1 year ago

I hope all those involved are prosecuted to the fullest extent. Intentions don’t matter here. She was kidnapped, she was terrorized, she was sexually assaulted, she was abused. Now she is traumatized and forever scarred. It's misogynist, sexist that the “men” thought it would be okay to visit a woman's worst nightmare upon her as a “joke.” This is the behavior that leads women to mistrust all men. She sure as hell can’t trust her fiancé anymore—these people with such poor judgment are his friends? The trauma is compounded by the knowledge that the man who “loved” her and is supposed to take care of her, protect her, orchestrated this assault, this violation. That relationship is ruined. How will she ever be able to trust any man ever again? This woman will suffer lifelong consequences for what they’ve done. I hope they suffer similarly.

66points

SkyBlueandBlack 1 year ago

"This is the behavior that leads women to mistrust all men." Repeated for emphasis.

48points

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EarthGrowl 1 year ago

I worked at a convience store when I was younger. The store was rather busy, right off interstate. Police and state troopers drove by constantly. Law enforcement and regular customers kept an eye on me because I worked nightshift alone. There was a busy truck stop on the opposite side of interstate so it was never really dark and quiet. I was bored one night and went out to sweep litter from the parking lot. The dumpster was around the side of the building. As I emptied the dust pan in the dumpster, someone grabbed me and slammed me forward into the side of the dumpster. The next seconds are a blur, years of wrestling with my sisters and the neighbor boys taught me to drop towards the ground and I slid down out of his arms. He grabbed the back of my coat and a fist full of hair. I threw myself forward out of my coat and my hair ripped out of the back of my head. I ran. I mangaged to get into the store and lock the door and hit the panic button. (cont)

46points

EarthGrowl 1 year ago

The police arrived in a matter of minutes they flooded the parking lot. When they played back the store video's you could see someone peaking in the window watching me before I went outside. I saw his face in the video, he had disappeared into the woods behind the store and police didn't catch him. A few years later I saw his face on T.V. it was Samuel Little one of the most prolific serial killers in America. You never know what might happen and escape isn't always guaranteed. A self defense course is always in a woman's best interest.

59points

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