WE Makes Women Everywhere Look Bad

Saturday was a day of experiences. I'm going to save the St. Patty's Parade fun and pics for tomorrow (it seems more appropriate). Today I'm more interested in analyzing the so bad it's almost funny TV my friends and I got sucked into on Saturday night. WE has a new reality show, called Surprise Wedding. Its premise? Desperate women trick their boyfriends into coming on the show and then propose to them on TV and they're given an hour or so to decide whether or not they want to commit. That in and of itself is enough to send me screaming from the room. Add to it that these women are a) wearing some of the most HIDEOUS, TACKY gowns ever seen and b) spouting cliched cutesy crap like "Let's dive into the next chapter of our life together." (Not the exact quote, but one girl talked about diving, another talked about new chapters. It was all cringe-worthy.) But it's one of those shows that screams train wreck and you just can't help yourself. You must watch. (The America's Next Top Model marathons on Oxygen do this to me. I don't want to watch them, but they suck me in and the next thing I know, I'm hooked and I can't turn it off.) So we're watching the five women propose to their boyfriends (three of whom look decidedly frightened and one I thought would have certainly run from the stage if they hadn't had someone standing there to stop him) and betting which ones would say no. Because we were sure that someone would. Then we learn that none of these women (whose woe is me stories of their boyfriends' inabilities to commit were played earlier) have been with these men for more than two years. And suddenly, I'm all, WHOA, hold on. You cannot possibly be THAT desperate THAT soon. Seriously, I would think that being with a guy for less than two years before a proposal ought to be viewed as a NORMAL time period in which you get to know one another. And this show makes it out to be this incredibly long period of time. After a year and three months (the shortest of the relationships), you should NOT be so desperate to get married that you have to trick your boyfriend into getting married on TV in Vegas wearing a cheap, tacky dress that doesn't fit. And then, just when we thought this show couldn't possibly get any worse, they brought the men out and ALL OF THEM SAID YES. Seriously, what the fuck? Even the guy, who we're not sure, but it's quite possible he's gay and hasn't realized it yet, said yes (he was also the one who looked like he wanted to flee from the stage at the beginning). It totally ruined the show. I mean, we figured going in that at least one would have to say yes, but we also figured at least one would say no. And honestly, we (four girls) were rooting for the guys on this one. As one of my friends pointed out, this is a horrible example for girls out there. It says it's okay to lie and trick your boyfriend. It says that you should be desperate to get married before you really know someone very well. It says that this is an acceptable way to start out your life together. And it's not. Now, I'm waiting for a follow-up show, called Surprise Divorce, where the men bring the women back and announce they're leaving them. This is why I don't like WE. It's almost as bad as Lifetime. Now, if the show had been on Oxygen, the women would have all been with the guys for at least 5 years. The men would all be horrid commitment-phobes like Mr. Big from Sex and the City. Also, all of the men would say hell no. And then the women would throw hissy fits and tantrums, but if you checked up on them six months later, half of them would be back with the guys. Now that would be a show worth watching. As for Surprise Wedding, I won't be watching it again because it's only so bad it's funny if at least one guy says no. Otherwise, it's just a step backwards for women everywhere.