by Crystal Ogar
We’ve all been guilty of loving them.
That’s right, I’m talking about reality wedding shows. Reality planning shows run the gamete and television channels that mostly cater to women are infected with them: Bridezilla, Platinum Weddings, and My Fair Wedding, and the list goes on…WE TV and Oxygen give us a total of six or seven television shows based on weddings alone. TLC and now the CW are also guilty of pushing wedding reality TV.
The new show titled Shedding for the Wedding on the CW gives us not only America’s obsession with getting married, but also America’s other guilty pleasure: weight. Shedding for the Wedding combines The Biggest Loser with the plethora of wedding shows we already have on television. One of the worst examples of a wedding show that combines both the weight and a wedding would be Canada’s Bulging Brides that was also shown on WE TV. In the show, average-sized women are berated by trainers and dressmakers to trim down so they can fit into their wedding dresses. And like I said, these women were perfectly average and not overweight in any sense. The show thankfully is no longer on air and cannot even be found by searching WE TV’s website, so perhaps they’ve wised up? However, WE TV’s website features a “Plus Size Bridal Couture Gallery” with several women who don’t fit the bill.
So, why the obsession with these wedding shows? Why are we watching? All of the couples featured on these types of shows are usually straight and white. And if you’re not spending money, you’re not really worth the time either because weddings cost an insane amount. It’s about the dress, the gifts, the presents, and–of course–the ring.
The wedding show phenomenon caters to the idea that women are supposed to be obsessed with dating and finding love or life won’t be complete. We don’t see shows with men acting like “Bridezillas” either, do we?
Today, high school proms are also treated like weddings, in the sense that you’re expected to anxiously wait for a boy to ask you (or propose), buy an expensive dress, a corsage, a limo, an expensive dinner, and then dance the night away. Not to mention the expectation of losing your virginity on prom night. Sound familiar? This obsession starts early and hasn’t gone away.
The idea that we’re always supposed to be thinking about weddings and being married is not only ridiculous, but not very helpful to our cause as women. Obviously being married isn’t the end-all be-all for every woman. And what about couples who aren’t heterosexual? Don’t they deserve a day as well? Before you give in to the wedding craze, think twice about why it is you may be falling for it. And turn off the channel.