Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Engagement is not a Symbol of Change

The world is fawning over the news of Prince Harry’s engagement to his girlfriend actor Meghan Markle. The engagement ring, is currently undergoing in-depth analysis under the experienced eyes of various wedding magazines. This marks the beginning of another royal wedding fever, which will plague not just our news channels, but the social media and the fashion world alike, for the coming months.

Be it the bride's wedding gown, the venue, the guest list, or the selection of songs to be played at the ceremony... A déjà vu of all the mania which surrounded a similar royal wedding in 2011. The only difference - the social media was still in its nascent stage then.

We are all obsessed with the celebrity culture at some point in our lives. Numerous newspapers and magazines owe their existence and relevance to our interest in celebrities' affairs, marriages and separations.

But this need of ours, to gawk at celebrities’ high-flying lifestyles seems irrelevant as compared to our fixation with the quintessential fairy-tale weddings.

A prince in his shining uniform, kissing the ordinary damsel in a virginal white gown. Heavens echo with divine music and birds sing the sweetest melodies. And the ordinary damsel becomes a royalty.

The romantics argue that these fairy-tale weddings affirm the faith of many young women in the institution of marriage. But no amount of sugar-coating can make the British royalty look saintly and glamorous.

They are and always will be conservative monarchs, who represent two things we need to seriously get rid of  – oppression and conservative way of life.

Stories of their failed marriages and old-fashioned values will always find a way to escape their high-walled palace. But these stories are not the only reason why many women feel disillusioned with such royal unions.

Women are fed up of being rescued by handsome princes. No more do not want to spend the rest of their lives walking one step behind their princes. They want freedom which comes from being financially independent and autonomous. They want to walk side by side with their partners, as equals. So for the new age woman a royal lifestyle has lost its sheen.

Being a royal is a duty, you have to adhere to an image. Whether in marriage or in parenting, the very normality of life, which we abhor, is what most of them yearn for.

The media and paparazzi should stop creating a hype around such events. It’s a shame that we have to applaud someone for accepting a woman of diverse ethnicity, into their household in the twenty-first century.

We are to ignore the fact that she has resigned from her job as an actor on a popular sitcom in the US, and will now concentrate on charity projects.

Also, we should address the fact that modern times call for progressive icons people who have achieved success by hard work. Moreover, by fussing over this royal engagement, we are basically endorsing the view that marrying a wealthy man can give you a comfortable life.

Pic by independent.co.uk

Also read: Stop Serving Casual Sexism on Billboards

Dr Yamini Pustake Bhalerao is a writer with the SheThePeople team, in the Opinions section.  The views expressed are author’s own.