When most people think about wedding-themed reality television, they might picture dramatic dress fittings, over-the-top ceremonies or celebrity-inspired celebrations. But for Oglethorpe University Associate Professor of Communication Studies Katharine Zakos, those programs offer a deeper window into the ways gender, celebrity and consumer culture shape our everyday lives.
In her newly published book, You May Now Diss the Bride: Gender, Celebrity, Consumption and the Allure of Wedding-Themed Reality TV, she examines what wedding reality shows reveal about society, identity and the expectations placed on women.
One of the most significant findings centers on the often-invisible labor that underpins modern wedding culture.
“Like so many things in our society, wedding culture is built on unrecognized and uncompensated—but fully expected—female labor,” Zakos explained. “When that labor is acknowledged and made visible, those performing it are often ridiculed or shamed for doing exactly what is expected of them.”
Her scholarship also influences the way she teaches at Oglethorpe, encouraging students to examine their own assumptions about media and culture.
“Research and writing in general helps to remind me that we all have internalized biases that we may not be aware of,” she said. “Those pre-conceived notions can have a huge impact on not only our analysis, but on what we choose to study in the first place.”
That perspective informs a central lesson in the classroom which is that if people are consuming something, it is worthy of scholarly attention. Those ideas resonate strongly with students, many of whom initially feel hesitant to analyze the entertainment they enjoy.
“Sometimes students feel ashamed of the media they consume and feel as if it is not worthy or of value,” they said. “But in media and cultural studies we emphasize that all media is of value because it contains meaning.”
Whether examining reality television, blockbuster films or social media content, students are encouraged to look beyond questions of “good” or “bad” culture and instead consider what media reveals about society. Discussions often explore how cultural texts reflect social values, shape identities and reinforce or challenge existing power structures.
“We can enjoy something regardless of whether society has deemed it high culture or low,” Zakos said. “We should not be ashamed of our viewing habits or refer to them as ‘guilty pleasures.’ We are drawn to certain media texts for a reason, and understanding that is the interesting part.”
For students and readers alike, however, the new book offers an invitation to reconsider the media they consume every day—and to recognize that even seemingly lighthearted reality television can reveal important truths about culture, identity and power.
