Rotten Little Girls

Tag: Consumerism

September 2, 2009

Reasons American Apparel Sucks (NSFW)

by Kelly

…and should be boycotted!

There is a wealth of information out there about the now-infamous American Apparel. After collecting articles and advertisements for the past year or so, I’ve decided to create a quick overview of reasons to boycott American Apparel – complete with links to some very eye-opening articles.

Besides the fact that I find the clothing at American Apparel to be ridiculously overpriced (and fueling the consumer habits I discuss in “Hipsters and the Consumer Culture of Cool”), there are other reasons AA is a toxic company:

1. EXPLOITATIVE & SEXIST AD CAMPAIGNS

Hey, sex sells, I get it. But where do we draw the line? American Apparel ads are practically soft-core (borderline child) pornography. These ads depict “real” women who are not all necessarily size 0 (more like size 2 or 4, what a radical difference). That makes the pornographic nature of the ads that much more offensive to me. I identify much more strongly with the women in AA ads than I do photo-shopped supermodels gracing the cover of Vogue. It sends a more direct message to young women everywhere – this model looks like you, she’s wearing our clothes and pushing her ass in your face, this is what modern, cool young women do. Don’t believe me? Sometimes pictures speak louder than words:

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Pantytime

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2. EXOTIFICATION OF MULTIRACIAL WOMEN

As if sexism weren’t enough, there are a series of AA ads that list the ethnicity of the (female) models – supposedly to celebrate diversity. I think most would agree, however, that it unnecessarily points out the “exotic” ethnicity of the model. Read this article for more information.

Also check out part of a Racialicious series entitled Race and Pop Culture Trends: Hipster Racism

3. DOV CHARNEY, CEO

Sexual harassment, workplace discrimination, unprofessional behavior. Oh, and he requires all his employees to be approved personally by him — in regards to their attractiveness.

Plus, take a look at this guy. Doesn’t he look like a pedophile from the ‘70s? Ugh. Keep that in mind the next time you shop at AA.

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There are too many related articles to count so I’ve organized them into categories:

SEXIST ADVERTISEMENTS:


American Apparel ad banned
I hate sweatshops. Now, which one of you wants to suck my dick?
Leftist Balkanization
This is sooo not at all pornographic, you puritanical busybodies.

DOV CHARNEY:

Is Dov-y Too Lovey? A Look at American Apparel’s CEO.
Who’s Your Daddy? Dov Charney serves up paternalism with a creepy smile at American Apparel HQ

Dov Charney is an MRA. Pardon me if I don’t faint with surprise. & Dov Charney thinks you’re stupid.

Living On The Edge At American Apparel
Dov Charney: The hustler and his American dream
“Must be intimate with Office.”
American Apparel: Made With Dov.

LEGAL ISSUES:

Employee Suing American Apparel Once Defended Them
Dov Charney’s Court Case Is Totally Complicated
We Predict More Lawsuits in Dov Charney’s Future
Sexy marketing or sexual harassment?

THE FULL PICTURE:

Understanding American Apparel

Cheers,
Dollface

P.S. For a good laugh, read The Onion’s ground-breaking expose: 14 American Apparel Models Freed In Daring Midnight Raid

40 comments
July 21, 2009

Hipsters and the Consumer Culture of Cool

by Kelly

Urban Outfitters skinny blue jeans. Thick, white plastic-framed glasses (prescription-less). American Apparel buffalo plaid shirt. I-phone. Skullcandy headphones.

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If you hadn’t already guessed, the above outfit is classic hipster attire. But what, you say, is a hipster?

According to Urban Dictionary, the hipster

“listens to bands that you have never heard of. Has hairstyle that can only be described as “complicated.” …Probably tattooed. Maybe gay. Definitely cooler than you. Reads Black Book, Nylon, and the Styles section of the New York Times. Drinks Pabst Blue Ribbon. Often. Complains. Always denies being a hipster. Hates the word. Probably living off parents money – and spends a great deal of it to look like they don’t have any. …Has a closet full of clothing but usually wears same three things OVER AND OVER (most likely very tight black pants, scarf, and ironic tee-shirt). Chips off nail polish artfully after $50 manicure.”

This definition is full of generalizations, yes. It’s also slightly insulting to so-called hipsters. However, this description is instructive as an example of our generation’s obsession with achieving “coolness” through material means. Want to be popular, edgy, fashion-forward? For many, it’s about the music you listen to, the literature you read, the television you watch (or don’t). However, if you examine this culture of cool more closely, you’ll notice how much stuff has to be purchased in the pursuit of peer acceptance.

Let’s take music as a prime example. Sure, any twenty-something worth their mettle knows how to build an impressive music collection for free using Bit-torrent. However, to go with their 40 GB of mp3’s, they “need” the latest I-pod (Do you have the video? The shuffle? The limited-edition U2 version? The 30 GB? The 60 GB?), the most stylist headphones (the aforementioned Skullcandy being a favorite), the speakers, the subwoofers, the I-pod speakers, a stereo system, and a sweet laptop with loads of memory. Not to mention the band t-shirts, the insanely expensive concert tickets, the CDs (because you love the band so much you want to support them monetarily).

What does it take these days to seem cultured? Subscribing to the right magazines, drinking the right beer, doing the right drugs. Popping Adderrall for those moments of writer’s block during finals week. It costs so much to be cool, and yet we barely bat an eyelash when shelling out all of our cash.

What is particularly ironic is that going “green” is the ultimate trend these days. Cheap, trendy stores like Forever 21 sell cute multi-colored re-usuable bags. Tee-shirts are sold at your local Hot-Topic proclaiming “Save the Earth” and other environmentally-friendly phrases.

However, do any of us stop for a second and ponder the irony of purchasing more crap in order to promote our “green”-ness? If you’ve seen the Story of Stuff, you know that the production and distribution of all these goods are costing the environment plenty. The water used in manufacturing your cell phone is contaminated for several thousand years. The cellophane and packaging covering your cell-phone, tossed in your trash can, will be added to the alarmingly huge pile of trash polluting our many dump sites. The money you spend will go into the pockets of fat corporations and not the factory workers slaving away to create the crap you didn’t really need in the first place.

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When you shop at American Apparel you are ignoring all of the shady business practices that have been splashed across the media (sexist and racist ad campaigns, sexual harassment charges against the CEO Dov Charney — among other issues). When you start smoking your American Spirits cigarettes – (don’t ya love looking so disaffected and nonchalant flicking the ash off the end of your cigarettes?) – you are overlooking the fact that RJ Reynolds bought out American Spirits in 2004. The very same corporation that, like Phillip Morris and other major tobacco corporations, has spent millions of dollars on targeting women, minorities and youth in their advertising. The very same tobacco industry that knew its cigarettes caused cancer and instead of releasing the information, put more money into engineering tobacco with twice the amount of nicotine.

We must re-think our consumerism, and fast, if we really care about the environment. As Americans (and this goes for anyone living in a capitalistic society), we seem to think we are so entitled to the latest product, the trendiest clothing. I admit it myself, I’m a big fan of fashion and one of my guilty pleasures is reading fashion blogs like Sea of Shoes, Fashion Toast, and Bleach Black. However, I try to temper my love of fashion with a heavy dose of reality. I fully recognize that Sea of Shoes is a blatant display of the excesses of wealth. Sure, the blog owner is a sweet girl who has loads of style. But if I had that kind of disposable income, believe me, I would have that kind of style too. It’s so easy to be envious of the wealthy who can afford to purchase all the trendiest items. However, in that same vein, it helps to keep things in perspective. Would I really be happy if I could spend all my money on clothing? No. Wouldn’t I feel even more guilty about wasting the environment’s resources if I were purchasing a greater chunk of the crap ending up in the trash dumps? You betcha.

time-nyIt’ll be hard, for sure. I’m not saying I’m the model of eco-friendly perfection, but if we care about the world that our children will be born into, it’s necessary to change our consumer habits. Hopefully someday “hipster” will mean someone who is defined by the causes they support rather than the clothing they purchase.

- Dollface

11 comments
May 17, 2009

Apathy and Other Obstacles to Change

by Kelly

Alright folks, I’ve been through academic hell of late – 4 papers and 2 exams crammed into one week (not to mention packing my entire wardrobe and shamefully expansive shoe collection – the horror, the horror!). Now that the dust has settled, I find myself able to kick back with some Pinot Grigio and Mr. Bungle’s California album…and write a post for Rotten Little Girls!

I’d love to post about how the world has become full of rainbows and unicorns and smiling mushrooms (hey, it’s my fantasy okay?) since Obama has taken office. However, I regret to report that not much has changed. This of course, is not President Obama’s fault at all – in reality I see that the people around me are still caught up in “everydayness.” Americans are still completely complacent and apathetic, at least among the folks I’ve encountered lately. Take for example the following conversation I had with a friend of mine:

Friend: “I know you are a feminist, but I am not going to lie. I’m anti-feminist myself.”
Me: “Why is that? Don’t you want women to have equal rights?”
Friend: “That’s not what feminism is about. Feminism is the opposite of misogyny…it’s a bunch of women who hate men and want women to have more rights than men.”
Me: “Uh, no actually most feminists want everyone to have equal rights and privilege…it’s about raising everyone up rather than bringing anyone down.”
Friend: “Whatever, as long as I can live my life without being bothered, I don’t care.”

I didn’t pursue this conversation because I had an essay due the next morning. Though I wish I had the time to say this to her face, I feel like it would be a pointless gesture. So, dear reader, I will share my thoughts with you instead.

I hope it is obvious that her definition of feminism is completely off-base. Sure, there might be some women who hate men, just as there are tons of men who dislike women and treat them poorly. I feel it is a fair assessment to say that these man-hating women are in the minority.

As for her comment about not wanting to be “bothered”…What the hell? You’re white, you’re rich, you live in a McMansion on the coast of California and your dad pays your 50K college tuition by check. You don’t work a job and you are unconcerned by grades or your future. What exactly do you have to be bothered by? It’s the people like me who fight for your right to an abortion, who fight to save the environment and reduce the excess of consumerism – while you put cans and plastic into the trash and shop at American Apparel. I don’t mean this to be a personal attack – in fact, many of the students I go to college with fit this description. Apathy is rampant among many college students these days – their biggest worry is where to score their next eighth of marijuana. Where are the sentiments that fueled the student protests in the 1960’s?

In the end, it is conversations like these that inspire me to blog. I want to engage with people who are open-minded, spread the word about issues I find important and attempt to make some small change in the world through my writing. I’ve already learned so much from blogging and reading other blogs – I feel like I can articulate and defend my beliefs much more so now that I have written and discussed them with other bloggers and readers.

I blog to combat my own detachment from social and political issues. It’s hard to think about upsetting issues like global warming and sexism all day, every day. It is too easy to ignore these problems and focus on fashion, or school, or hobbies. This blog keeps me aware and keeps me engaged with current events. The biggest obstacle I see to changing the world for the better is collective apathy.

So, I leave you with this quote from Mumia Abu-Jamal:

“If you ain’t angry, you ain’t paying attention.”

Excited to be back! — Dollface

9 comments
February 4, 2009

Do You “Do Gender”?

by Kelly

We are socialized from birth to act a certain way, dress a certain way, and even to love certain people over others. When people act outside the bounds of “appropriate” behavior they are labeled as abnormal and pressured to conform to the rest of society. From the clothing we put on in the morning to the toothpaste we use at night, we are making choices that have been heavily influenced by our parents, the media and society writ large. So how do you become your own person? Is it even possible?

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I am primarily interested in discussing gender roles. We are assigned a gender when we are born based on our sex/genitalia. That, in a nutshell, decides our future. Born a boy? Welcome to the world of toy trucks, blue clothing, rough-housing, never crying (at least after a certain age), and hypermasculinity. Born a girl? You must be pretty, be docile and obedient, play nicely with your baby dolls and dream about your future wedding -– to a man, of course. These gender “stereotypes” are no surprise to most of us –- in recent decades, most Americans have become pretty well-versed in the basics of gender roles. However, most of us still subscribe to these roles, whether subconsciously or not.

I want to examine the problems that gender roles create in our society. It is helpful to realize that gender is a category we, as human beings, created. Yet, we act as if it’s natural, even biological. Gender is not natural, but rather a social construction. This means that many people feel compelled to act in certain ways, even if it is not in their nature – they do so to fit in and to avoid being ostracized. Even when people rebel, it is to directly oppose the gender roles they are assigned – for example, tomboys are girls who (generally) scorn dresses and being “boy crazy,” dress like their male counterparts, and participate in masculine activities like sports. However, this subculture has been largely accepted by society as a “phase” many young girls go through. Most tomboys seem to grow out of this phase and revert to feminine roles later in life. Those who don’t are viewed as abnormal; it is somewhat okay for teenagers to be “experimental” with gender roles, but after a certain age, restrictions on behavior and dress resume. College graduates often hear that they are “entering the real world,” and therefore, must follow a new set of societal expectations.

For women in particular, gender roles are rather problematic. As the “fair sex” we are expected to put effort into our appearance and avoid seeming too argumentative, opinionated, or outspoken. For centuries we have literally been silenced by patriarchy. However, even with free speech and equal rights, gender roles work to silence women and young girls. By discouraging women from speaking out & having strong opinions, many girls’ voices are marginalized in school, at home, and even in the workplace. As a rather opinionated young woman myself (ever wonder how I got the title Rotten Little Girl?) I’ve faced a lot of discrimination from both male and female peers. Many seem to find me intimidating or too passionate about my beliefs. I’ve made peace with the labels “bitch” and “crazy girl” but it’s still hard at the end of the day to live with the limitations placed on me because of my gender. Maybe if I shut up and behaved, I’d have more friends or be more popular. However, I feel like I’d be compromising my integrity and my self-worth if I changed just to be more accepted by society.

So my challenge to you is this: think hard about what gender roles you subscribe to and whether or not you do so because you want to or because it makes your life easier. Discuss in the comments section your thoughts on gender roles –- what have your parents done to reinforce them or break them down for you as a child? What have you done? Can we be true “individuals,” or are we completely influenced by the media & society? Feel free to bring up intersections of race, religion, etc…whatever affects you personally.

To start it off, here are some ways in which I reinforce gender roles in my life:

- I am a “reformed” tomboy
- I put effort into my appearance every day (make up, clothing)
- I am a consumer
- I enjoy romantic movies and obsess over relationships
- I have very “traditional” views on how relationships are structured (who buys dinner, who should call first, etc)
- I want to get married

Here is how (I hope!) to break some of these gender roles down:

- I am open sexually
- I am opinionated
- I try to avoid advertisements, billboards, commercials as often as possible
- I limit my porn usage (I could explain, but that would be a post unto itself. Expect a post in the future, though!)
- I read avidly
- I am attempting to buy less unnecessary crap (including clothes!)
- I am independent and plan to be financially independent upon graduating college

Please share your thoughts!

- Dollface

P.S. To clarify the title of this post: “Doing gender” is to act within the “appropriate” gender role assigned to you at birth.

25 comments
January 3, 2009

The Story of (too much) Stuff

by Kelly

storyofstuffThe other day my cousin and I watched this video called the “Story of Stuff.” While the 20 minute length may seem daunting, the video itself is quite gripping and absolutely worthwhile. It details the havoc consumerism is wreaking on our environment & our planet. The video has simultaneously angered me, motivated me to work harder to be green, and cured me of the tendency to use retail therapy as a method of achieving happiness.

I urge you to view this video. If it leaves questions in your mind, read Annie Leonard’s book that is coming out sometime soon. The Story of Stuff website also lists “10 Little and Big Things You Can Do.”

I sent this video to many of my family members and friends. While many responded saying that they were moved by the video and sent it to everyone they knew, one relative said that he thought the video was propaganda and that he thought Wal-mart was a great “cooperative” that benefited everyone involved with it. I thought it might be useful to post an edited version of my response to him (and the rest of my family):

“Goodness! I certainly did not expect to spark this debate.

The point of the video is to get a message across, an important one. Okay, so it’s propaganda. Is all propaganda bad? Sure, to get a message across succinctly and to reach as many people as possible, the message must be simplified. Notice the video is 20 minutes long. It could be so much longer, but who would have the time to watch it?

There is a simple solution to this debate: The woman is coming out with a book on the subject. You want to see where she got her facts? Why don’t you get the book from the library when it comes out? She does mention that 10 years of research went into this project and I’d wager that she does have the evidence to support her claims.

Even if her facts are exaggerated (which I don’t think is true) — does it matter? The point she makes is an important one: sustainability is one of the most important causes in our lifetime. She is right — our Earth is a finite place. We don’t have endless resources. We cannot continue to trash our planet, cut down trees, dump our trash in landfills and harmful incinerators. I am actually reading an interesting book on garbage at the moment, and it supports much of what this woman is speaking about.

I consider you all to be intellectual, thoughtful individuals. What is so disappointing to me about reading these emails is that you are getting bogged down by the small stuff. Nitpicking over whether we are using 30% of the world’s resources or 1% doesn’t get us anywhere! What we must do is act.

We must change the way we see the world. We act as if we are entitled to that new ipod or that new sofa. We think we’re entitled to go to the store and buy whatever we can afford. Yet, we ignore the fact that we are exploiting the environment and the workers hired to produce our affordable goods.

I watched a documentary about Chinese factory workers employed by Wal-mart. They were young people who moved to cities from their homes in order to try to make money. They work for ridiculously low wages, they are housed in cramped tenement-style dormitories and separated by gender. So, women can’t live with their husbands, they wash their clothing in dirty sinks in their cramped rooms and they share bunks with other women. They work long hours and get practically no vacation time in which to see the family they are sending money to. All so that we can have our affordable goods.

We are not bystanders in this dilemma. We are actors in this exploitation. We have agency, more agency than most people in so-called “Third World countries”. What are you doing with this agency? You are plugging into your nice computer (was it purchased in the last 5 years?), sipping from your coffee mug in the comfort of your home and debating whether or not the environment is truly in danger. Rhetoric can’t help us now. We need action.”

Whether or not you have watched the video, you might be asking…”What can I do about the state of the environment? I’m just one person.” There is so much one person can do, and here are my suggestions:

Read this article about eco-friendly fashion, or how to change the world from your computer, and finally, watch the “Story of Stuff” and explore the website. We have to work together to save our planet.

- Dollface

What are you reactions to the video? What do you do personally to be more green? Please share your thoughts.

5 comments
January 1, 2009

8 Reasons Sex and the City is not a Good Role Model

by Kelly

sexandthecityentertainment2I love the show Sex and the City & I’m aware it is good, fun entertainment. While many women look to Carrie Bradshaw and her friends as fashion icons, the show itself isn’t a beacon of progressive values & feminist ideals. Sure, the women are independent and open about their sexuality, but upon closer inspection these women are not examples of strong female characters.

For example,

1) Not all men are crazy! The main cast members of Sex and the City (SATC) are constantly dating the most dysfunctional and insane men. Remember shoe fetish guy? The guy who took a shower after sex because of Catholic guilt? The list of crazies that the women run into is pretty extensive and the depiction of men is not very realistic.

2) Why do these women choose $400 shoes over paying the rent? Viewers are constantly hit over the head with blatant consumerism. Demand for Manolo Blahniks increased after the show was released merely because they were Carrie’s shoe of choice. You know, because accumulating more crap is good for the economy and all.

3) Maybe I’m the only one who finds this odd, but how do these women have NO friends or lovers of color? I know it’s the Upper East Side, but come on! Okay, so there are a couple of episodes where one of the women dates a black man but these relationships are weighed down by Hollywood’s favorite interracial couple stereotypes (for example: the white woman might be with the black man because he has a big penis; the black man’s sister is upset that he’s dating a white woman so she gets between their relationship).

4) Every SATC episode sends conflicting messages to women: “Be strong! Be independent! You are incomplete without men!” The message of women’s sexual liberation & independence is pretty heavy-handed throughout the entire show. Yet, the show is focused on the women’s relationships with men. Pick a side, HBO, and stick to it.

5) Considering the show is often centered around women eating together in a café, you’d think there’d be a broader range of body shapes instead of skinny, skinnier, and then Miranda…the “fat” one. Right. I know it’s Hollywood, but stop shoving this tripe down our throats!

6) Where are the lesbian woman? Gay men are a regular “accessory” on the show; the women bring them to parties or clubs when they don’t have a “normal” date. However, there are only a few episodes that feature gay women. During these episodes (surprise, surprise), these lesbian women are depicted as either incapable of being friends with straight women or they’re throwing plates in fits of jealous rage.

7) The women talk about men all day long. What about politics or some other interesting topic? I would find that to be compelling, but apparently it’s not marketable. Miranda’s character does complain about all the conversations centering around men but she’s basically as guilty of it as the rest of the women. The show never really deviates from their time-tested formula: four women discuss men and how stupid/amazing/good in bed they are.

8) The whole premise is just so darn unrealistic. Sex columnist in B-rate daily newspaper spends all her money on expensive shoes, restaurants, and Hamptons timeshares while being friends with other skinny, surprisingly wealthy white women – all the while encountering no people of color, no lesbian women or transgendered people. Yet these women manage to sleep with every mentally deranged man in New York City & the surrounding areas.

So, what are your thoughts? Do you have anything to add to this list? Are there any shows out there with more realistic depictions of people or would that be expecting the impossible from Hollywood?

Happy New Year,
Dollface

Photo Credits

14 comments
November 21, 2008

My Perfect Day: The Normalization of Bridezilla Culture

by Kelly

bridezilla_by_larawolf3We’ve all heard of the terrifying creature that is known to stalk up and down Fifth Avenue in her Manolos – no, I’m not talking about Carrie Bradshaw, I am talking about the not-so-mythical Bridezilla. She is the ultimate perfectionist, seeking the finest her money can buy all for one special day – her wedding. There are television shows, books, and articles in the New York Times devoted to dissecting her behavior for a voyeuristic public. Even in doing research for this post, I felt like an anthropologist studying rare creatures: “Note the Bridezilla in her natural habitat. She is the alpha female in her pack, commanding an entire room of people to watch her throw a bouquet of flowers into a crowd of her friends. This is a sacred human ritual, the meaning of which is still a mystery to most scholars” . . . Okay, you get the idea.

As fun as it is to poke fun at Bridezillas (considering the term itself is rather disparaging), the dirty little secret is that most of us, on our wedding day, buy into Bridezilla culture to some extent. It’s my day, we claim, and if I want a Rolling Stones cover band/Purple carnation centerpiece/Five-tier cake with spiders on it, then that’s my decision! Just take a look at this article entitled “Tips for the People Pleasing Bride (or Groom),” which states, “Just because you want to make the people you love happy does not mean you have to cover up what you think and feel. If you really don’t like orange as your main wedding color, but your mother-in-law to be keeps telling you it would make everything look even better, then just tell her the truth . . . Simply tell her something like, ‘I’ve given it a lot of though and I really just think the color pink . . . would reflect our personalities more.’” Because, ladies, it’s about what color flower fits your personality not your mother-in-law’s.

wedding-photography-3If I seem to be a little tongue-in-cheek, forgive me. As one of those hopeless romantic types, I do think marriage can be a wonderful way to celebrate the lifelong coupling with your significant other (which, by the way, should be allowed for people of all sexual orientations). However, I struggle with the concept that the better your wedding day, the better the marriage. In fact, that is the notion the wedding industry wants you to believe. As ludicrous as it seems, the wedding industry isn’t just selling the perfect day but the perfect marriage. Want to ride off into the sunset of marital bliss? Make sure you have the right dress, photographs to commemorate the event for years to come, and registered gifts from your guests that will outfit your marital home. The wedding industry wants to capitalize on a single day of your life by selling you a fairy-tale fantasy. They realize that in a society with such high divorce rates, this fantasy is priceless to the newly engaged.

The sheer size of the wedding industry can make the task of planning your wedding seem daunting. While you could always get a wedding planner, many couples want to be involved in every step of the wedding planning process. Sites such as The Knot offer a wealth of information for engaged couples – where to buy dresses, what destinations are great for honeymoons, and wedding favor suggestions. While it seems like a great one-stop site for planning your special day, it is also a portal into the consumerism behind the wedding industry. Not only does the site dispense advice but it tells you what to buy and where. Never heard of unity candles? Well neither have I, but you can purchase a personalized one for $54.95. Since no wedding is complete without unity candles, of course.

It seems to me that the consumer culture surrounding weddings not only endorses partaking in traditions but creating new ones. The wealth of options, as one bridal store exclaims, “can make your special day unique!” However, the commodification of romance means that as creative as you try to be, your wedding will likely end up being rather cookie-cutter. No matter how large your budget, weddings seem to follow certain formats (engagement party, ceremony, reception, honeymoon). Somewhat ironically, it is when their wedding doesn’t meet some intangible level of perfection that most Bridezillas devolve into tears, thus earning their infamous moniker. As cynical as I may seem about the entire wedding culture, there are hundreds of brides (and grooms!) every year who buy into the image of a perfect wedding – no matter the cost.

- Dollface

What are your thoughts on Bridezilla culture? Do you want to get married someday, and if so, do you fantasize about the “perfect wedding”? Was your wedding non-traditional? Please share!

For more on wedding culture, read my review of One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding.

Related Links:
Bridezillas on a Diet
Love, Honor, Cherish, and Buy (New York Times review of One Perfect Day)

Photo Credits

10 comments
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