Why “Happily Ever After” is Ruining our Marriages Imagine the perfect, fairy tale wedding: A dainty bride in a pristine white, flowing dress, a handsome groom clad in an ebony tuxedo, a picturesque flowergirl and ringbearer, the birds chirping and the sun shining, and a carriage waiting to carry away the newlyweds. But after that… then what? Happily ever after? This is the western approach to romance. Americans expect the love that begins with their significant other’s looks, as that is normally how courtship begins, to last “till death do us part.” This mindset is not, however, reflected in reality: 50 percent of marriages end in divorce, 66 percent of second marriages end in divorce, and 75 percent of third marriages end in divorce (Epstein). The original fairy tales
…show more content…
In her article “Cinderella and Princess Culture,” she discusses the tremendous American obsession with turning little girls into princesses and the business side of it, as well as pointing out the potential consequences. She starts with a narrative about a dentist visit with her daughter in which she snaps at an unsuspecting dental hygienist that refers to the exam chair as a “princess throne.” Orenstein brings up the point that the western world is so deeply enthralled with the concept that the first princess items were released without any marketing plan, focus groups, or even advertising (329). Andy Mooney, former Nike executive and mastermind of the princess clothing boom, attributes to the success by saying, “We simply gave girls what they wanted” (qtd. in Orenstein 329). While the clothing brands and toys don’t necessarily harm children, Orenstein notes that evidence does exist that those who hold “traditional feminine beliefs”, such as those prescribed in fairytales, are more likely to be depressed
In her article “Cinderella and Princess Culture,” she discusses the tremendous American obsession with turning little girls into princesses and the business side of it, as well as pointing out the potential consequences. She starts with a narrative about a dentist visit with her daughter in which she snaps at an unsuspecting dental hygienist that refers to the exam chair as a “princess throne.” Orenstein brings up the point that the western world is so deeply enthralled with the concept that the first princess items were released without any marketing plan, focus groups, or even advertising (329). Andy Mooney, former Nike executive and mastermind of the princess clothing boom, attributes to the success by saying, “We simply gave girls what they wanted” (qtd. in Orenstein 329). While the clothing brands and toys don’t necessarily harm children, Orenstein notes that evidence does exist that those who hold “traditional feminine beliefs”, such as those prescribed in fairytales, are more likely to be depressed