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Pinned to the vows

Some things you might find on a typical Cougar’s mind could include class, work, homework, networking and finals, all while juggling life. This list of priorities can sometimes feel suffocating. Young, single members of the pride are beginning to feel like they have a grasp on their dreams. The thought of taking a significant other’s dreams into account before one is fully comfortable with his own seems a little unbelievable.

David Delgado | The Daily Cougar

David Delgado | The Daily Cougar

For some, this idea does not seem so outlandish. My lungs seemed to fail me upon hearing the news of my roommate and her boyfriend’s impending nuptials. This abrupt news made me question the velocity of my maturity in comparison to that of other people my age.

“How are you going to plan a wedding? I don’t even know how to balance a checkbook,” I said to my friend.

“Yeah, it will be definitely be difficult, but Pinterest will help,” my friend said.

Pinterest is a pinboard-style photo-sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, and hobbies.

Of the 33 categories available at the top of Pinterest for easy access, there is a category labeled “Weddings.” Under this category, pinners are able to view a seemingly infinite amount of pictures that range from gloriously beautiful wedding dresses to perfectly assorted flower arrangements and from a variety of do-it-yourself projects to helpful ideas on how to plan a wedding on a budget.

Modea, a digital advertising agency, did research last year into the usage of Pinterest, and found that 68.2 percent of users are women, 41.7 percent are 18 to 34 years old and 71.9 percent have an annual household income of less than $100,000. One could paint a picture of the typical Pinterest user: a young woman earning less than $100,000, possibly still in school or in the early stages of her career and money is possibly an issue in her life.

Do not misunderstand; all these things are useful to the future blushing bride, and being able to see all of these amenities in one place is convenient. This board could be quite helpful. Pinterest has the convenience of Google but with an emphasis on what you can see more than what you can read. “Pinners” do not have to go searching for specific aspects to add to their wedding; it is already compiled onto a seemingly infinite board on Pinterest.

The convenience and fairy-tale bliss is changing the way young adults view marriage and relationships. Young women are forming wedding boards with the vision of the most perfect and picturesque wedding. Upon grazing the page, the word that comes to one’s mind is “dream.”

“Obviously, (Pinterest) gives people ideas,” said anthropology and nutrition junior Brittani Gore. “Negatively, people could say that it gives unrealistic expectations because people don’t realize how expensive weddings really are.”

While there are tuxedos and cufflinks for the groom, the site seems to be built primarily around the bride.

“My sister was able to help me pick out my fiancee’s engagement ring from looking at (my fiancee’s) wedding board on Pinterest,” said petroleum engineering sophomore Shane Brandt. “I had a general idea of what she would have liked, but it was nice to look at examples.”

Young women are forming this idea of a wedding and asking the man to squeeze his foot into the five-inch-heel-like mold the woman strategically picked out. With Pinterest, these potential brides can have the wedding they want while cutting costs and doing things themselves, and the temptation is too tough for some to resist, and as a result, some of these married couples may be rushing to the altar sooner than they want to or should, perhaps both.

In May 2010, the Texas Department of State Health Service’s Center for Health Statistics released a report on marriage and divorce trends from 1970 to 2006. Among men, 48.3 percent of divorcees are 30 to 44 years old. In 2006, 47.1 percent of divorced men are 25 to 39 years old, while 50.4 percent of divorced women are 25 to 39 years old. Young people still have a good chance to stay married through middle age, so statistics like this should serve as a cautionary tale, not a deterrent. Young adults may be rushing to the altar too soon, and Pinterest is making it harder to resist the temptation.

Perhaps for a while, we should stick to our Disney movies, Call of Duty, the “Humor” category of Pinterest and keep our dreams just that — dreams.

Kelly Schafler is a print journalism sophomore and may be reached at [email protected].

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