Previously known as Libdemchild

Friday 29 April 2011

Did we witness social mobility and sexism today with the royal wedding?

'Commoner' was the word of the day. About every three minutes (ok, I am exaggerating) the word was mentioned as if we were seeing something so extraordinary- Kate Middleton comes from a well to do background. She went to Malborough College which is an expensive school. This means that she didn't come from a family that was badly struggling to marry into the royal family. So, I am wondering if Kate's 'social mobility' has been exaggerated.

I was really excited by the Royal Wedding because it promoted Britain as a world class country still. However why does sexism have to be tied into British culture? Did you notice the sexism of the whole event? The way in which Kate and her wedding dress were described by the press was in the use of words such as 'understated', 'demure' and 'not a crowd stealer'. People were placing Kate in a secondary position even before she had left the church. There was also a lot of gender stereotyping on show: girls who had been waiting to see the dress, loved the kiss and who said, 'it should have been me'. Are there any girls out there, apart from me, who don't want to be in Kate's shoes???

My favourite bit of today was when Kate and William drove out of Clarence house in the Aston Martin because it was the funniest moment. What would have been better would have been if Kate had driven the car. I suppose she couldn't because of her big dress.



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2 comments

  1. Spot on, Maelo.

    What made me cringe a bit was the bit during the wedding ceremony, which happens at weddings all the time, was when her father virtually gave her hand to William. The symbolism of that isn't very healthy when you think about it. Marriage shouldn't be a transfer of ownership.

    And it was good to see the Aston Martin - a definite highlight of the day. I think the dress would have made it difficult for her to drive the car but it would have been a fabulous sight.

    Well said.

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  2. Dear Craon,
    This is the first time I had seen a wedding and i noticed Kate's hand being given as well!! I pointed it out to my mother, i really agree with you.
    From
    libdemchild

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