I NEVER WILL MARRY, I'LL BE NO MAN'S WIFE

Kat, who is a regular reader of this blog, writer at BitchCraft, as well as the Chief Expert on Ginny Bates, has forwarded to me a marvelous article in this weekend's New York Times by Caitlin Gibson and Rachel Manteuffel titled "The Anti-Wedding". She stated "Myra will enjoy this." Myra did indeed, and so did I. Thus, I share it with you.

A couple of the opening paragraphs:

"We are convinced that there is no justification for wedding insanity. We feel qualified to make this judgment as single women who have never been married or engaged, and have never planned an event more complicated than happy hour. But we have seen what happens to some intelligent, strong women when confronted by the multibillion-dollar Wedding Industrial Complex: Those few unattractive tendencies, weaknesses generally kept under control -- bossiness, melodramatic romanticism, obsession with looks, agony over superficial details -- coalesce into a toxic distillate. What chance does anyone have against an industry that seduces the rampaging feminine id? The masses need to be liberated.

"What if . . . we become Anti-Wedding Planners? What if we find a couple who shares our opinion and lets us plan their unorthodox, fabulously cheap anti-wedding, located -- we dream -- in a bus depot or a Laundromat? We envision the glorious reversal of typical wedding cliches: the symbolic release of dirty city pigeons in lieu of doves, bouquets of dead leaves, a buffet of peanut butter or grilled-cheese sandwiches. The wedding itself would be a statement, a metaphorical loogie aimed right at the wispy veil of wedding-obsessed America. It must be anti-industry, but pro-romance, because real love means knowing, This is my soul mate, even if (s)he's wearing a garbage bag."

Of course, Myra's (and my objections) go beyond weddings to the definition and meaning of marriage itself. But, as they say about a busload of Christian Fundamentalists going off a cliff: It's a start.