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Woman slammed for ‘upstaging’ best friend after engagement announcement

“Tacky’ doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of this…”

YouTuber makes engagement ring from finger nails

An influencer has copped swift backlash after sharing photos of her friend’s engagement ring, with some online accusing her of “flexing” her larger ring.

Early in March, Joanna Zanella Schaub, fiance to former UFC fighter Brendan Schaub and a mum-of-three from LA, learned that her best friend Natalie was getting married

They’ve been besties for decades, their love for each other spanning 17 years, so Natalie announced she was getting engaged, Joanna knew she had to spread the word.

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RELATED: Woman divides TikTok saying she only wears her engagement ring 20% of the time

Joanna (right) and Natalie (left) have been close for nearly two decades. Picture: joannazanellaschaub/Instagram
Joanna (right) and Natalie (left) have been close for nearly two decades. Picture: joannazanellaschaub/Instagram

“Welcome to the club BFF”

The American influencer shared a picture announcing the news on her Instagram account story, which boasts more than 70,000 followers.

In the snap, her friend is holding out her hand and showing off her beautiful and large Princess cut diamond ring.

The picture is clearly overflowing with happiness as Natalie excitedly shows off her bling. 

“Welcome to the club BFF,” the caption read, and so far, all seems normal. 

But what got fans in a tizzy was the rest of the photo. 

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Rather than just celebrating her bestie’s engagement ring, Joanna decided to place her own hand on top of her friend’s.

Joanna’s ring was clearly bigger than Natalie's, the square-cut diamond ring clearly dominating the photo.

RELATED: 'I hated my hideous ring - then I had to drive 5 hours to have it cut off'

Many have accused Joanna of upstaging her best friend. Picture: joannazanellaschaub/Instagram
Many have accused Joanna of upstaging her best friend. Picture: joannazanellaschaub/Instagram

“True friends celebrate love, not the size of the ring”

While it’s unclear why Joanna took the photo like this, many online speculated she was upstaging her best friend by putting her own hand in the frame. 

“When your friend gets engaged, it’s important to make sure everyone knows you have a bigger ring,” someone shared on X (formerly Twitter).

“Tacky move, tacky ring,” said another. “Tacky’ doesn't even begin to scratch the surface,’ someone replied. 

“This is nothing more but an ego-stroking flex about who has the bigger ring,” a fourth wrote. 

“Why would your hand ever need to be in a friend’s or someone else’s engagement pic or announcement?” someone asked. 

“The friend’s ring isn’t even the focal point of the picture,” another agreed. 

“True friends celebrate love, not the size of the ring.” 

Some argued Joanna’s ring wasn’t technically any bigger than her friend’s. 

“The bigger ring appears to have pave-set diamonds which is the diamond equivalent of a push-up bra,” they noted. “Versus her friend’s classic 3-carat solitaire.”

“They have no shame,” said another. 

However, not everyone was convinced, with some arguing the public was “reading too much into it.” 

“I didn’t get that from this at all?” a confused person wrote. “It just looks like two friends celebrating both being engaged.”

Originally published as Woman slammed for ‘upstaging’ best friend after engagement announcement

Original URL: https://www.themercury.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/woman-slammed-for-upstaging-best-friend-after-engagement-announcement/news-story/7e553ae330c47b4e7910687aa9a7de6c