LOVE/HATE: the gender equality edition
By Never teh BrideIf you want to tell the world that either you or your spouse is a dedicated commitmentphobe, there’s no shortage of cake toppers that will help you do just that. Perhaps you had to carry your man to the altar? Or reel him in with a fly fisherman’s gentle touch? Are you ready to choke him for waiting for so long?
Notice a trend? In case it doesn’t jump right out at you, I’ll spell it out: It’s always the poor little plastic groom that’s being dragged around, forced into matrimony, or even physically injured!
Thank goodness for Archie McPhee, right? Finally, someone is manufacturing a tacky cake topper for those heterosexual couples in which it’s the lady-half who isn’t quite ready to say “I do.”
As you probably already have guessed, I HATE it, but that’s because I generally hate all cake toppers that aren’t something kooky like Matchbox racers or action figures. I’m kind of enamored with the notion that someone thinks there is enough of a demand for guy-dragging-girl toppers. At least they’re ready to admit that not all men secretly want to stay swingin’ single and not all women are frothing at the bit to get married.
Is this what modern-day gender equality looks like? Yeesh!
June 19th, 2008 at 9:05 am
I just hate ANY cake toppers with the notion that one of the parties had to be “dragged” to the aisle. I’ve never been to a wedding with one of those on the cake, but if I did, I’d be very uncomfortable — it would make me think, “Okay, so one half of the happy couple would really have rather not gotten married. Uhh…let’s toast to that…?”
June 19th, 2008 at 9:46 am
I’m with La Petite Acadienne. Those things make me cringe, no matter who the reluctant party is.
June 19th, 2008 at 10:56 am
If I went to a wedding and the bride and groom had one of these cake toppers, I’d wonder how long the marriage would last. Hmmm, I’ve got something to research if I ever go back to school again!
June 19th, 2008 at 11:24 am
I guess the reason the expressions are always so confounding and inexplicable on these little plastic guys is that no one is quite sure what expression a bride-dragging groom SHOULD have.
June 19th, 2008 at 11:52 am
These creep me out either way, but the fact that there are still places in the world where women are sometimes literally forced into marriages makes this even worse.
Still, either way, there’s no excuse. Just. Not. Funny.
June 19th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
Considering that Archie McPhee is the interbunny’s leading retailer of gag items (spark-spitting wind-up nuns, anyone?), I am going to guess that this item is not really intended to be put on a cake; it might actually be a joke on those woman-catching-a-man toppers. Still, that’s not to say some humor-impaired couple won’t run with it. . .
June 20th, 2008 at 3:41 am
It’s certainly a new spin on cake toppers that’s for sure. Although I’d hate to see it on a wedding cake, it could be fun at the bride’s last night out party!
June 20th, 2008 at 6:13 am
I think it would be funny but anyone that really didn’t know you well enough to know that you were just having joke might think the woman/man is a little scary.
June 20th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
I actually just saw one called Runaway bride, where the groom is standing on her dress while she’s trying to make a break for it.
And it was a real cake topper.