While there have been a variety of studies,both qualitative and quantitative,that have determined many women's magazines to do little more than tell women to look pretty(Demarest&Garner,1992),it is unclear if bridal magazines follow this pattern as well.The purpose of this piece,then,is not to assess to what level bridal magazines objectify or sexually stereotype women,if the images of women are detrimental to readers or if there is a sense of overt consumerism in these publications.Researchers from a wide array of disciplines have already taken these paths in regard to other publications and images.Attempting to cover every theoretical underpinning based in feminism,consumerism and mass media theory would be counterproductive at best.Rather than attempt to reach every inch of the theoretical spectrum,this study will take a different approach.The intent here is to see if any significant differences exist between bridal magazines and the oft-reviled women's magazines.In doing so,this piece could lay the foundation for researchers with a variety of interests to examine these magazines from their own perspectives.
Brides and Their Magazines
There are approximately 2.4 million weddings each year in the United States(Brady,2001).Weddings these days rarely center around a small intimate gathering of friends and a sharing of vows.The average wedding today costs approximately$25,000(DeYoung,2001)with the bridal business as a whole operating to the tune of$50 billion a year.This business includes everything from bridal shops and wedding coordinators to registry websites and CD-ROM wedding planners(Boden,2001).
Brides today take a far different approach to marriage and weddings than those who were married a generation earlier.Flanagan(2001)argues that brides see the wedding as a way to stretch beyond their station in life.This is a chance to create an amazing and complex party to impress their friends and family.The sense of creating a“princess wedding”blinds the bride into believing that there is no option but to spend lavishly on the wedding.Very seldom does the bride achieve the moment of clarity that allows her to realize that her dress costs more than a month's rent and that those“finer touches”on receptions items could have paid off a good number of their bills for the month(Flangan,2001).Furthermore,the traditions of the past that led to much of the weddings as they are seen now has long since been removed.No longer does a bride live under her father's roof until she is wed,necessitating a large wedding for a proper send off and a gift registry to stock the new home.People with two houses full of amenities use the registry now to seek out luxuries and pad their glorious new home.The registry,the white dress,the wedding rings and other traditions have gained in grandeur what they have lost in significance(Flanagan,2001).
The modern bride,of course,doesn't dwell on any of this.She is,after all,the daughter of one of the most profound cultural shifts in American history,and this is part of her birthright:the freedom to sample,on an a la carte basis,the various liberties young womanhood has to offer.(p.114)
Bridal magazines have become the resource guide of this new breed of bride.A recent survey by Modern Bride magazine indicates that 98%of women start reading bridal magazines once they become engaged.The top five reasons women cited for using the magazines were:suggestions for wedding dresses,suggestions for bridesmaid's dresses,tips on wedding etiquette,ideas on flowers and to-do lists.Often,magazines have launched their own websites which connect users to registries,travel agents and other wedding-based businesses(Ambroz,2002).Even in the face of decreased consumer spending and fears of much worse things to come,Bride's magazine publisher Nina Lawrence declared her magazine“recession-proof”(Brady,2001).
The influences these magazines hold over these women are substantial.About two-thirds of the women surveyed said they got ideas for their honeymoon from the magazines.Nearly half of the women said the magazines effected their choice of fine china and one-third of them said the magazines shaped their attitudes toward which casual dinnerware to buy.Brides can become obsessed with planning the perfect wedding to the point of undergoing beautifying plastic surgery and having nightmares regarding the wedding day(Ebenkamp,2001).Furthermore,the women who are about to be married are a highly desired market group,as they are more likely to be brand conscious,upgrade their cosmetics and try diet products.According to data gathered by Marketing to Women,56%of engaged women expect their household spending will increase in the next year.In addition,78%of engaged women said they will be buying new furniture for the home,even though both they and their fiances have furniture.Engaged women are more likely to buy automobiles,kitchen appliances,homes,cell phones and fine jewelry than their single counterparts.These women are also more likely to start a diet,buy new skin-care products,use a tanning salon and use a home tooth-whitening kit.