Feminist analysis of the royal wedding

[DontdoitKatie]

This is one of the times when you realise how very lonely seeing things through a feminist lens can make you.

Patriarchy in all its glory.

I know! It's all so beautiful isn't it?
enormous amounts of talent, skill and work have gone into producing this.
and look at all the women in their fancy dresses, who are going to get marked out of 10 for how successfully they have fulfilled their decorative role.

Oh well done you. I'm not watching it live, but I've been looking at the BBC website for snippets.

Prince William looks silly.

God yes Sybil - that's all people can really talk about "what's she wearing". I think I'm going to go out and water my vegetable plot, because this is going to do my head in.

DS is admiring the uniforms of all the minor and major royals from around the globe. The men, not the women.
He also likes the trees inside the abbey. He has noticed that the bride is wearing white, unlike the last wedding he attended.

Actually one thing before I go and tend to the plants. Some of us are old enough to remember this the last time round - when it was Princess Diana going to her doom getting married. After what happened to her I can't see why there is all this unreflective celebration around this. She was put into an arranged marriage to be used as the royal incubator. It destroyed her, and her position finished her off in the end. You'd think they'd have learned their lesson after what was done to her, but the patriarchy has to keep chuntering along.

the feminist analysis is all blindingly obvious really isn't it?
they could have stood up for some untraditional things (eg she didn't have to go down the aisle with her dad) but they were never going to because she has always seemed the dutiful and conservative type.

I was amazed there was so much discussion over whether she would 'obey' though - that was never going to happen.

I remember Charles and Diana getting married. Our tv would only work if it had had a good long rest so we didn't watch it all the day before, to make sure it would get through the whole thing.

look at all those male priests. They could have had a woman doing the marrying, now the status and money of the priesthood has fallen enough for women to be admitted. That would have been radical.

It is blindingly obvious, but it seems like it needs to be said.

BECAUSE NOBODY IS SAYING IT.

I'm thinking she'd have no choice whatsoever in how the marriage ceremony went once she'd agreed to marry a prince, patriarchal royal protocol and all that.

That wasn't shouting at you BTW Sybil. Shouting at the terrible coverage on the TV and in the papers.

I'm watching the snooker which is probably equally patriarchal but I did take a sneaky peak at the dress which as you say Sybil is beautiful as are the bridesmaids etc.

I agree Katie - I wondered right from the start why all the unbridled joy when her MIL was so unhappy after her wedding. There has hardly been any analysis of this (the DT touched on it in an article on Saturday but literally touched on it). Nor have there been any questions as to whether they are doing the right thing. There very rarely is though for public figures - unless you are Katie Price and then everyone has their say!

it's a man doing the reading, which means it will all be men's voices, or is there another one? While that is presumably a result of her sister already having a job as bridesmaid, the effect is to heighten the decorative/active contrast between the female/male roles.

dd has just mentioned the fact that it is all choirboys, not choirgirls. AFAIK some cathedrals have mixed choirs these days and some don't.

There has also been very little mention of what the women attending do outside being present a Royal Wedding. I am sure the commentators could have made things a lot more interesting by doing a little research into thier interests/occupations. They are people not dummies.

Just seen the male voice choir Grrr. Women (or lack thereof) in music is one of my little bug bears! Yes the men are doing, the women are attending.

Men everywhere. Only Kate and a nun in the altar bit (no idea what it's called).

I always find the choir bit creepy too. A male siren-esque soundtrack to the descent into the patriarchy's clutches.

I hated the 'which man giveth this woman to be married to this other man' bit.

I am actually watching it - can't seem to help myself.

Does remind me of sitting watching Diana with my mum and my sister. Poor woman.

Don't know about anybody else but that back view of them when the religious fella was going on about being faithful and forsaking all others just seemed so obviously about her. Nobody gives a shit if the prince is faithful, as long as the incubator Kate is.

You know when we have those conversations about the origin of patriarchy and people talk about men wanting to be sure of the paternity of any children - it just was so glaring.

And then he put his mark ring on her.

Ach, well, let's hope they'll be nice to each other and not have too bad a time of it.

God, don't be so bloody miserable - it's a wedding - you know, meant to be a happy day, who cares if it's traditional? You can tell by the way they are looking at each other that they are happy.
Prince William doesn't look "silly" at all, if you had married a man in uniform you wouldn't say that.

Kate looks lovely, I'm sure her mum and dad are very proud.

Did they exchange rings or did he just give her one? I have 3 noisy children in the room so can't quite follow.

Malificence there are several other threads about the royal wedding, this is a feminist analysis thread. It's in the feminism topic too. Why don't you go and post on another one rather than rudely barging in and telling us what to think?

The bishop doing the reading now actually just said 'incubate'!!

Think it might have been some religious mumbo jumbo about the holy spirit but he did just talk about 'the next generation'.

Spooky.

LOL, dd has decided to switch off and listen to Pippi Longstocking instead.