The eldest son of Posh and Becks is getting married! Brooklyn (21) has just recently got engaged to actress/model Nicola Peltz (25) after around 9 months of dating. With the pair being relatively young and not having been together very long, is this a naive love struck engagement or a wise return to tradition that will stand the test of time?
The last century has definitely seen a drastic change in people’s approach to marriage and relationships; progressing from marrying young and starting a family to a ‘serial’ style of dating. Perhaps we have become more picky in recent years when it comes to finding ‘the one’.
Tinder and social media have reconfigured the way this generation looks at dating, with the online side of the relationship becoming more predominant than the physical side in a large proportion of cases.
This appears to be leading to what is termed as ‘throwaway relationships’ and hook-ups rather than anything serious
This appears to be leading to what is termed as ‘throwaway relationships’ and hook-ups rather than anything serious. Rightfully so, not everyone is looking to settle down young and instead want to have a bit of fun first.
However, this potentially could be setting up our generation for bad habits when looking for a long-term relationship later on in life; we might find it hard to commit, when being so used to flitting in and out of casual relationships.
Marriage is not the be all and end all of romance, we have grown to accommodate very different ways of being with people romantically. Some of us will be quite happy just being unlabelled.
Both Brooklyn and Nicola had been in previous relationships that didn’t quite work out, so maybe they were ready to place their bets on something that they felt is good, and we can respect that.
They might even be onto something that some of us might benefit from. Maybe settling down young and growing with someone is beneficial for a relationship.
On the other hand, it could be seen as naive to get engaged so quickly with not having experienced life (and other people) enough yet.
The couple’s return to tradition might not be so traditional after all, as they are demonstrating that young commitment is something to be accepted again, but through a fresh and more equal perspective.
Throughout the majority of the 20th century, women were warned to get married before they were ‘left on the shelf’.
Opinions over the years have gone from one end of the scale to the other, from being encouraged to marry young to seeming naive and careless in doing so. Throughout the majority of the 20th century, women were warned to get married before they were ‘left on the shelf’.
That pressure in modern culture isn’t entirely gone, but we are a generation rapidly moving forward in our open mindedness.
Two people, like Nicola and Brooklyn, choosing to commit young without being pressured is a representation of their admiration for each other at that time – it is not a marriage devoid of romance because of societal pressure.
It is almost refreshing to see that two people are not scared of making the wrong decision, they are going for it. They are highlighting the fact that some of us are growing tired of the ‘hook-up’ culture that has become the norm.
Whether it works out or not is yet to be known, but they are doing it on their terms.
Rowan Cothliff
Sources used:
https://www.thelist.com/132979/how-marriages-have-changed-over-the-last-100-years/
Featured image courtesy of Jeremy Wong Weddings via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
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