Is the Royal Wedding Feeding into Our Culture of Obsession?

You had to have seen this one coming, didn’t you? A post about the Royal Wedding seemed to be inevitable since frankly, that’s all that the news, magazines, and well, everyone is talking about with April 29^th approaching quickly. Over the last month or so, the media has bombarded us, the viewers, with countless documentaries, interviews, and historical content that gives insight into the lives of Prince William and his soon to be wife, Kate Middleton. Instead of jumping on the bandwagon of praise for this seemingly happy couple, there is something that doesn’t sit right with me. Is it the exploitation and the selling of memorabilia? The extravagance? Or the culture of obsession we partake in?  I can’t quite put my finger on it…

Despite my slight cynicism towards the Royal Wedding, it will surprise you to know that I am somewhat of a ‘wedding sap’. I adore the process of dressing up, the widespread anticipation felt by bystanders anxiously awaiting the bride’s entrance, the unveiling of her beautiful dress and the look of awe and utter happiness in the groom’s eyes when he finally sees his bride. I enjoy the wonderful food, the dancing; even the cheesy slideshows filled with pictures of the bride and groom during their ‘awkward’ childhood stages. Mostly, I love the idea of love because I think it is a rarity in today’s over-stimulated society. So, I believe when you’ve found love, you should do your best to honor and protect it from the perils of criticism and exploitation.

Having said all of this, how does the Prince of England have a private wedding? I suppose the extravagance linked to royalty can be a double-edged sword that disallows intimacy to exist in social settings. Just recently, headlines have revealed how the Royal’s have ‘snubbed’ the Obama’s by not inviting them to William and Kate’s wedding. I have to wonder, is it really a snub if you don’t know the person well? Or is this really all about social standings? Furthermore, so long as there are viewers who want details about the Royal Wedding, the paparazzi will surely find a way to provide them with the profitable information they seek. I suppose the lack of privacy is the plight of the Royals after all.

What I’m really interested in is whether or not you will be waking up at 3 am to watch what is being described as the wedding of the century? Will you secretly watch the highlights and not tell anyone about it? Or, are you going all out and throw a party to watch with friends?

What about me? Well it seems as though since I have been on hiatus, I have forgotten that good journalism is often bias-free. So, in exchange for this personal post, I will write an entertainment piece following the Royal Wedding with a list of all the celebrities in attendance, what they wore and yes, lots of details on Kate Middleton’s top secret wedding dress. A wedding is a wedding, after all!