Feminism Is For Everyone

Dec 29, 2008,1:18 AM

It's like a century in girls' years

Wow... just wow. With nothing else to do over break but watch loads of TV, this preview for Bride Wars has come up again and again. My mother has expressed interest in seeing this. I have even tried to explain how this movie is indoctrinating women to fight each other rather than focus on the patriarchy. And then there's the issue I have generally with the institution of marriage. I would prefer not to enter into an institution if the whole thing is unequal from the start with something as gendered as a wedding. But I guess we all deserve our tax breaks from the government! However, the marriage dilemma is inherent in many romantic comedies. Mostly I am concerned about the implications of woman vs. woman. Even best friends forever can be pitted against each other in a second if a wedding is at stake!

Lately I have been absorbing myself in bridal TV shows as well. The whole "bridezilla" stereotype leaves me feeling frustrated. Having this stereotype in the media is only positive reinforcement. We emulate media influences, and the bridezilla concept is just another attempt at invalidating women. "If we can get them to argue pettily amongst themselves, they will never focus on the larger inequality issues at hand," says the patriarchy.