As divorce rates soar, more people celebrate their newfound freedom

Nov 21, 2009 15:31 GMT  ·  By
Divorce cakes and divorce parties, the latest lifestyle trend to pick up pace
   Divorce cakes and divorce parties, the latest lifestyle trend to pick up pace

They say marriage is for life or, as we hear so often in movies and books, “‘till death do [us] part.” Still, divorce is also part of our life, being the logical choice when things no longer work out, to put it in the simplest terms possible. As rates for divorce are soaring in most countries, a new trend is beginning to catch on with the speed of light: that of divorce parties, as the Daily Mail can confirm.

While a wedding is the manifestation of the joy felt at the thought of two people uniting their destinies for life, a divorce party is, of course, the exact opposite. Newfound freedom is generally the theme of such a party, which makes it so that divorce is no longer seen as reason to pine and mope around, but rather as a fresh start in life. This is also the motto of most divorce cakes.

Again, like with the nuptials, divorce cakes are the reverse of wedding cakes – and they’re selling like crazy as more and more people want to make of their divorce a celebration of a new start. Most of them feature either the bride or the groom (depending on which spouse is filing the papers) pushing the partner off the cake, or stabbing them in the back or otherwise inflicting some serious bodily harm. There are also predominant themes like blood, broken hearts and scattered luggage, admittedly from the honeymoon.

And, while some might consider the whole idea too violent to be funny, makers of such cakes are thrilled about the possibilities now available to them. “Some people might consider it crass and insensitive while others may view it as a fitting end to a period in their lives – as well as a chance to have a good party. I like to introduce humor rather than something too sober or vindictive so I use lots of figurines interacting with each other. Divorce can be a horrible thing but I would like to think comical divorce cakes can help lighten the mood a little.” Fay Millar of Brighton, England, says for the Mail.

“I think people are definitely coming round to the idea of shouting to the world that they are back on the market. I think it used to be taboo to have such a thing as a divorce cake because it is not traditionally viewed as an event to celebrate. However, with people like Katie Price throwing divorce parties I think people are definitely coming round to the idea of celebrating the end of a relationship and shouting to the world they are back on the market.” Millar further explains.