Dropping weight for your upcoming wedding? Planning on it? In the current issue of Modern Bride, Abby Ellin tackles the phenomenon of the newly betrothed (many who are already quite thin) taking extreme measures to lose weight before their big day. The proliferation of bridal boot camps and Bulging Brides reinforce the idea that no matter how thin you are, you must be thinner to walk down the aisle. Check out the article if you get a chance--Ellin effectively covers an alarming trend that has become the norm and, to my excitement, quotes me!
10 comments:
Is the article available online? If so, what's the link?
I spoke with Abby Ellin last month about a similar story. She wanted to hear from brides who refused to lose weight for their big day and said she planned on quoting me in her story. I wonder if this story is one and the same.
Kara -- it's not available online. I'm gonna check it out tonight to see if I am quoted in it. If I get a copy, I'll scan it and post a link to the full article.
Urgh. I hate this phenomenon! But the only reason I didn't try to lose weight before my wedding was because I was 3 months pregnant at the time. (I'd like to think I'd know better now.)
One of my friends was force-marched, by her mom, to a "spa" for a week before her wedding. She was already rail-thin, but, apparently, not thin enough. One of the main images I have from her wedding is, after the ceremony, seeing her surrounded by female relatives helping her into her reception dress, and her arm snaking out between them to snag food off a passing server's tray. The poor girl hadn't had any substantial food in a week!
And then everybody focuses on how women gain weight in the first year of marriage. Maybe because they starved themselves for the wedding, and went back to normal after? Now there's a thought.
I have no plans on getting married for a very long time but I don't think I'll be trying to lose weight before hand...
My first substantial weight gain in adulthood was during my year of being engaged. It was pretty tough to deal with, especially since I had my parents peeking over my shoulder for just about everything when wedding planning was underway.
I have to say that I am STILL so happy with my decision to get married quickly (3 weeks of planning, and most of it from another country) because I didn't have to deal with months of worrying about my weight and all that fun stuff. I ordered 2 dresses and 1 of them fit, so that was that!
For me, I find the entire wedding-as-enterprise and most-perfect-day-of-my-life to be rather appalling, but that is my own worldview.
- Kristina
It bothers me to know that everyone I know in my wedding party is trying to lose weight for my wedding. Given how intellectual, strong, introspective and giving these ladies are, it's frightening to see them all jump on the same yo-yo diet bandwagons. I love all these ladies in my life, and I wish they would feel beautiful just as they are.
I'm wondering if the trend is an exaggeration of the bride wanting to show the groom what a "Big Strong Man" he is...in comparison to her tiny little self...? You know on some level men have a biological urge to Protect us, frail trembling flowers of femininity that we are. Being even smaller for one's wedding would just magnify that...plus there's the whole "carry-me-over-the-threshhold" business that's part of wedding tradition. And a smaller woman is just easier to control.
just a thought.
Yeah, Hope. Not to mention ... you know. The patriarchy.
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