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.

Me too, Pia, a lot of no seatbelt wearing going on! Good job nothing was coming the other way!

It's not as though it wasn't caught on camera!

I mentioned Huw Edwards line about little girls all wanting to be princesses to a (female) friend today who said "The Royal Family is about good, strong traditions. Feminism and women's rights doesn't come into it. Totally irrelevant." Oh, ok then!

Lynette: I don't think I'd have fancied driving PIL's treasured 21st birthday present, seriously expensive car in front of the world's press whilst wrapped in a long dress and a full train which would completely fill the footwell.

I see what you mean about the symbolism, but it's a drop in the ocean compared to the rest, and actually does have some direct pragmatic reasons.

Animation: Capt Mark Phillips wasn't invited either. All offspring of both Princess Anne's and The Duke of York's failed marriages are adult and had one parent present, and both make and female former partners were equally excluded.

It's a bit like the partners are dispensible though isn't it - after they've produced the grandchildren, and secured the succession ?
Something not quite right going on there. Like the Queen is the only honourary woman allowed !
Thanks for your friendly words AliceWorld, that was very nice of you !
Is good to find a thread like this around, I agree.

This thread is interesting, if exasperating. Surely you can do better?

-Only men conducting the service - (dressed in finery) Maybe women should be encouraged more to make their way through the ranks in the CofE. Would any of you actually encourage a woman to join the CofE as clergy?

• There were a couple of nuns (dressed modestly in grey) just sat there - yes, I'm not actually sure what they were about. They may as well have stayed at home.
• Dad gives away the daughter - a lot of people didn't like this. It's now an age old tradition, which a lot of brides seem to want to uphold, despite being independent women for several years, and paying for the wedding themselves. DD certainly doesn't belong to DH, but I think he would like to hand her over to he husband to he can then provide for her every whim like he does now. And I'm not talking financially...she can be a really demanding little madam in every way!
• Dad and best man up front - The Queen (a woman) had the best view as a guest. Her husband, Prince Phillip is not allowed to be King, Mwhahaha!
• Mum and chief bridesmaid out of sight. - There were more bridesmaids than pageboys. In this day and age, not a very fair honor.
• Fergie - their auntie not there - neither was Ct Mark Philips. Thatcher was invited, Blair and Brown weren't
• Only bride gets the ring - Only the woman got an engagement ring. What expensive piece of jewelry did she give him?
• Only boys in the choir - poor things. Did you see how pale they looked? I wouldn't want that life inflicted on any daughter of mine. If it were only girls in the choir I would actually feel quite cross that they were having to perform, and not boys. It would be freaky. (Being just boys is freaky too, but boys do have a slightly deeper "quality" to their voice than girls. It's just what you prefer)
• Only men gave a reading - apart from Clergy, only James Middleton, if IRC. Kate's sister gets to be bridesmaid, which was a main role while her brother only got to do a reading.
• BBC main anchorman - is a man. And a white man at that. The women presenters, were out and about with the people. I can think of a few women who could have been an anchor person, but weren't reporting about the wedding at all. Maybe they thought the whole thing was a load of tosh and refused.

late to the thread, but as a feminist I am still enthralled with what all the women are wearing. Why would that make me anti feminism?

In RL, who invites their aunt who divorced their dads brother a good few years ago? It would have been a bit Jeremy Kyle.

I thought it was a shame that Carole Middleton didnt have much of a role. But its her business, intelligence and hard work that made the middletons rich and allowed them a lifestyle that could reach the royals.

"Capt. Mark Phillips wasn't invited either"

I don't think it's as simple as that. First off Mark Phillips was never in disgrace and ostacised. Anne divorce Mark and re-married a long time ago - it was a clean break. Their children are considerably older and they have their own partners and family.

Fergie divorced Andew and was at fault straight away. She will never be able to redeem herself despite the fact that her and Andrew still have a partnership of sorts. They are still good friends and he has neverr re-married. Most of their childhood Beatrice and Eugenie have had to attend all functions incuding Christmas without their mum.

I think that will have hurt them - and still does - they are still very young adults.

I had studiously avoided the wedding but then went round to my parents' house where my mum was sitting through the rerun later that night. I saw the whole 'who giveth this woman...' and I started ranting. Couldn't help it though knew it would be a mistake in front of my mum. She told me UT was trivial and told me to shut up so she could enjoy it all again for the SECOND time....

I then went off to talk to my dad about something far more interesting and my mum got upset. Think she is disappointed that her only daughter wasn't sat there swooning over the dresses.

I went to a wedding last year at which they did the only 'who gives this woman...' thing. There were gasps when they did it even from other women who had had quite traditional weddings themselves. It makes me think of Nora from A Doll's House who describes what it's like to be handed from your father to your husband. The symbolism behind that gesture has my blood pressure rising. For one thing it completely ignores the role the mother has played in the bringing up and care of her daughter. Why couldn't both parents have given her away if they had to have that bit in?

Does anyone know why William isn't wearing a wedding ring?

There have been a number of threads about William and wedding rings.

He doesn't wear any rings (he doesn't wear a signet ring, for example) and hates the feel, so they decided together he wouldn't. It's not to do with status (prince Charles wore one for each marriage) or role in the Armed Forces (allowed, though sometimes removed for hazardous activities). There's nothing to suggest anything other than a personal decision for them.

"-Only men conducting the service - (dressed in finery) Maybe women should be encouraged more to make their way through the ranks in the CofE. Would any of you actually encourage a woman to join the CofE as clergy?"

Encouraged by whom? By feminists? Why would feminists support an institution based on misogyny

yeah but meditriana I reckon there's a lot more to it than that. DH and I cba wearing wedding rings. But we each still wore one on our WEDDING DAY out of politeness to each other.

sakura - genuinely interested in your thoughts as to why CofE is an institution based on misogyny. Can you elaborate ? Of course I can see there is a lot of inequality, which is a strong reason for me moving to the Quakers.

I haven't read any if the other threads, but on Sky they covered the ring question on the wedding day.

They said ( very quickly ), that the ring was from from the days when women were considered chattel and the property of either their father or husband , the exchange of the ring signified the exchange of ownership, and as such the man is not obliged to wear ring even many do today, in-line with social convention.

Historians feel free to correct...

meditrina, he may well simply not like wearing rings, but what if she didn't like wearing rings? I can't imagine them cutting that section out of the v. trad ceremony that took place.

Timewasting: an interesting point. But she's worn various rings over time, so the circumstance simply doesn't apply.

No, it's speculation. But it's a requirement for women, optional for men. That's the rub.

MNHQ -

I see there's no link to this thread from the home page for people interested in talking over everything about the Royal Wedding

But this is the best thread by miles !

(Link only takes you to the dozens of options under "Royal Family" section.)

Please remedy at once !

< stamps foot in almost regal tantrum >

Also, the wearing of wedding rings by men is v unusual in that class: it's seen as v. v. m/c. True blue bloods wear family rings for their pinkies, usually eith family crests on them.

Thanks Humperdink, I've just reported my own post to HQ, with a brief explanation. Have been wondering for a while how to bring any comments to MNHQ attention.
So thanks for the tip. Though I may be addicted to "report" now, and give them loads of hassle

Oh thank god I've found you all here, you've made me feel like there is still sanity and ration in the world for the first time in about a week.

Fou ('what expensive piece of jewelry did she get him?') the traditional practice of engagement is again a system that makes women powerless - he gets to make the decision about when they get married, in return she gets some jewelry. Choice over major life decisions, or jewelry? hmmmm?

Hi, thanks for reporting this. We'll discuss it tomorrow when everyone is back in the office.

Thanks Catherine

• I like your home page tag line

"Catherine makes honest man of William"

A link to here as well would be great !