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Margarita Stepanyan
Professor Makarosyan
English 114B
11 May 2015
Medias Effect on Marriage
When we think of marriage, generally we think of a man and woman who get married,
have children, and raise a happy family. Despite the traditional view on marriage, others may
argue that it is a bond shared by two people who love each other deeply; the traditional view of a
one man and one women marriage is changing drastically. Celebrities in the media play a huge
role when it comes to reforming the thoughts and beliefs of the viewers; they let people know
that it is okay to be cohabitating, single, divorced, and gay. Non-traditional family dynamics are
presented positively in the media because the media has changed our societys view of traditional
marriage, making same-sex marriage, cohabitation, and divorce seem acceptable in the eyes of
many people.
As media lets people know that non-traditional family dynamics are acceptable to live by,
people grow more and more comfortable with the idea. Even though the news media might not
be able to tell the audience what to think, they can at least tell the audience what to think about
(Hicks, par. 5). When people begin to understand others viewpoints, their views of the world
also change; cultivation analysis argues that television can either subtly, directly, or cumulatively
influence viewers' perception of reality (Hicks, par.5). The media does not only consist of
television, as the technology age has taken a big step forward, millions of people are on social
media where they see pictures posted by celebrities, news articles shared by their friends, and

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argumentative comments of opposing viewpoints. In the media, certain television shows portray
non-traditional family dynamics such as Modern Family, Keeping up with the Kardashians,
and Full House. These television shows depict families with a single parent, cohabitation,
same-sex relationships, and switched gender roles. If one looks closer into these shows and
reads between the lines, they will see that these celebrities are trying to make a change, shifting
society from a traditional understanding of marriage, family, and gender roles to a more urban
understanding.
Celebrities are the figures that change the worlds views. If a famous celebrity was to
have a child out of wedlock in 1950, that celebrity would be shunned out in the public eye,
whereas today if a famous celebrity has a child out of wedlock, it is considered okay because you
do not have to be married in order to have a child. Having children out of wedlock is not the only
idea that celebrities have standardized; people have gotten more comfortable with the idea of
same-sex couples ever since a lot celebrities came out of the closet and got married. Many argue
that same-sex marriage is a highly non-traditional approach to marriage, others may say that
there is nothing non-traditional about the love between two people. The gay community and
supporters argue that if prisoners on death row, deadbeat dads, multiple divorcees, felons, and
non citizens can get married then gay couples must also have the right to get married (Sullivan
415). Gender should not be a deciding factor that bans or allows marriage; love is blind, it does
not see age, gender, or physical appearance and that is exactly what the media is trying to
portray.
Media also portrays how children from non-traditional families adapt in those situations;
in the 90s television show, Full House the father and his friends were raising his three

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daughters from toddlerhood to adolescent years. Since that show was set in the 90s, nontraditional marriages and families were as common as they are today, therefore it must have been
a surprise for people to watch a family show which lacked a mother. Even though the father
tried to play both the father and mother role, he gave us the impression that it is very difficult but
it is not impossible for a single parent to raise his or her kids.
As opposed to the norms, mindsets, and family values during the time that Full House
was filmed, now more and more families are being constituted by a single parent and his or her
kid(s), more people are getting divorced, and more children are being born out of wedlock.
Studies have shown that in 2011 the proportion of children born out of wedlock reached 47%,
up from around a fifth in the 1980s (Changing Families, par 2). Not only are those statistics
sky high, but the numbers of divorces have also hit an all time high. Divorces have climbed
from 16,000 per year in 1945 to over 117,000 per year as of 2013 (par 2). Unfortunately, 34%
of children today are living with an unmarried parentup from just 19% in 1980 (Livingston,
par 5). Those numbers will continue to rise because people do not value traditional family and
marriage as much as they used to. Not to say that the shift from traditional to urban is bad or has
a negative effect on marriage, however due to the new understanding of family, less and less
people put a lot of thought in their marriage or marriage in general as much as they used to. Gay
couples are fighting, protesting, being discriminated against for a right that they do not have on
many of the states in the United States, at the same time some strait couples only acknowledge
marriage as an option and they choose to cohabitate. In some cultures cohabitation would not be
okay, however it is a good idea to live with your significant other for a while to see how it will be
like to get married with them and spend the rest of your lives together. Doing so, the couple

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would get a better understanding of what it will be like to get married to that person, how they
behave at home, if the share similar values or beliefs, etc. Overall cohabitation is not what many
consider traditional, however it is a good place to start a marriage.
The family of the Kardashians is the most non traditional on television. Looking at the
cohabitation of Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick, they are the most non traditional couple
in their whole family because they are the only couple who is not married. Although, they have
been together the longest as opposed to the other sisters. Interracial marriage is another thing that
seemed extremely taboo just 50 years ago, but it is perfectly normal today. Both sisters Kim and
Khloe are or have had traditional marriages and relationships. A recent study shows in 2010,
24% of all black male newlyweds married outside their race, compared with just 9% of black
female newlyweds (Mixed Ethnicity Relationships, par 7), therefore the sisters are changing
and have changed that view on marriage with the help of television and media. The Kardashians
also influence the change of gender roles; it was clear that before Kris Jenner divorced Bruce
Jenner, she did all the management and ran the familys businesses. The traditional view is that
the woman stays home and the man makes the money, however the Kardashians make it seem
normal for both genders to work, make money, have stable careers, and go ahead in life.
Media not only changed the way we view marriage, but it also gave us the idea of
marriage equality. The Human Rights Campaign and supporters of gay marriage from Andrew
Cuomo to Alan Simpson ignore an inconvenient truth: that the increasing elite support for sexual
freedom in recent decades corresponds with the growth of marriage inequality (Reno, par 1).
This goes to show that society does not have marriage equality, but some people are trying to
make it happen. Television shows do a great job in doing so, they portray different kinds of
families and relationships, making it seem adequate in the eyes of the viewers that we are living

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in the 21st century, we are in the year 2015 and we do not need to be judged or have our rights
taken away based on how we want to and choose to live our lives. No one should be shunned
because of their marriage. Equality is different in everyones eyes, but that does not mean that
rights should be taken away from those who chose to marry regardless of gender.
Those who choose to marry someone of the same gender, or live without getting married,
or get divorced, whatever the reason no one should ever feel lower than what society views as a
normal or traditional marriage or family. The media shows different aspects of marriage and
relationships in a positive light, it shows that certain things that were not okay three or four
decades ago are normal today. Why is it bad if a gay couple gets married? What will happen?
The answer is nothing, nothing will change because they continue to cohabitate, all they want is
to make their love legal in the eyes of the country and the government. We do not degrade
straight couples for cohabitating; they can get married whenever they want, they have that right
and they share the same love that the same sex couples shares, there is literally no difference.
When divorced used to seem taboo, people always assumed infidelity or something is not right,
however how can one make an assumption if they have never lived a day in one of the spouses
shoes. Maybe the husband was abusive, maybe the wife did not show love or affection, there are
countless reasons for couples to get divorced, but that does not mean that they cant start a
normal family or a have a normal marriage with someone else.
Medias role in society is viewed as negative and positive in the eyes of many different
people, however, even though it has its negative aspects such as the most common: how one
should look, it has changed our views almost entirely to being open minded and understanding
when it comes to certain things such as same-sex marriage, divorce, and cohabitation. The

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writers of the television shows obviously get harsh criticism, but what people do not see is that
they are trying to make a change, and a change is what we need. We need change in a world
where society decides what is normal and what is not.

Works Cited

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Andrew, Sullivan. The Contemporary Reader. Boston: Pearson, 2013. 414-17. Why Gay
Marriage is Good for Strait America. Print.
"Changing Families, the post nuclear Age." The Economist. N.p., Mar. 2013. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.
Hicks, Gary, and Tien-Tsung Lee. "An Analysis of Factors Affecting Attitudes Toward Same-Sex
Marriage: Do the Media Matter?." Journal of Homosexuality, 58.10 (2011): 1391-1408.
LIVINGSTON, GRETCHEN. "Less than half of U.S. kids today live in a traditional family."
Pew Research Center. N.p., Dec. 2014. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.
"Mixed Ethnicity Relationships: The Way of the Future?" Psychology Today. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.
Reno, R.R. "Marriage equality." First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life 244
(2014): 3+. General OneFile. Web. 1 Apr. 2015.