*Spoiler Alert* 27 Dresses

So while I'm usually all for supporting the film industry, I have to admit that I did something rather unethical and watched a boot-legged Japanese recording of "27 Dresses" online last night. Yeah maybe the whole screen wasn't in the shot the whole time, and maybe there was a hand that covered the lens a few times, but you get what you pay for eh? :-)

It was an enjoyable chick-flick, that's for sure, but I was rather disappointed in the ending.
(Like I said.... *SPOILER ALERT*)

Jane (the protagonist) spends most of the movie mooning over her boss, who has fallen in love and plans on marrying her sister. Jane, as you can probably guess from the trailer, is the ultimate bridesmaid who helps and worries about everyone else instead of herself. The first 3/4 were full of fun, expected witty banter, humorous situations and of course, the 27 dresses ("You could totally shorten it and wear it again!").

However, the end takes a strange turn as Jane completely humiliates her sister at the engagement party and (sort of) tells her boss that she's over him only to chase after the jackass wedding column writer she's known for a few weeks....because she suddenly realizes he's "The One".

I know, I know...it's a chick flick, I shouldn't be so shocked, but it got me thinking. The wedding industry is huge, raking in something like $90 billion dollars a year. Bridal shows, bridal magazines, bridal consultants, even whole reality shows devoted to fabulous weddings with all the trimmings. Wedding porn is EVERYWHERE.

But why? You can't tell me that it's some sort of female instinct to want to spend thousands of dollars to wear a 50 lb. frilly dress for a few short hours. It isn't natural to worry about seating arrangements, proper engagement announcement etiquette and stress about the details down to the table linens. So who or what is to blame?

I think the only answer is capitalism. The Western consumeristic/materialistic ideals permeate the marriage ceremony and people are getting rich off of brides swept up into the whirlwind of having their "dream wedding". The wedding industry reinforces gender stereotypes and tells us we should want to want things...lots of things!

But that's neither hear nor there, because my real question is-

Can you be a feminist and support capitalism?

I am so not a fan of state-approved granny panties and lately I've been giving into the consumerist machine (But I totally needed that Jack LaLanne power juicer!) but I can't help but cringe when I think about how I'm fueling the industry that causes all sorts of image, body and debt issues in young people. So what's a girl to do?
(Probably not what I'm doing right now, which is O.D.ing on French Twists from Barry's Bakery and watching 1 v. 100...I could totally beat the mob. If you made it through that long winded rant, here's a photo of my favorite bridesmaid dress from Kat's wedding!)