Bonprix https://www.bonprix.co.uk 2m 558 #divorce
The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
Interest in ‘Divorce Parties’ has TREBLED on Social Media in the last year
- Research conducted by bonprix has revealed social media mentions around the term “Divorce Party” has trebled from 11 million in 2016 to 33 million in 2017*1
- Women 35+ are most likely to host divorce parties after the breakdown of a marriage
- Party games are symbolic and involve burning of partners’ prized possessions
With the start of the year meaning peak time for divorce filings and with an increase in people choosing to actively celebrate, rather than lament an end to their nuptials, the phenomenon of divorce parties is set to take 2018 by storm.
Interest in ‘divorce parties’ trebled in just one year with social media mentions on both Twitter and Instagram increasing from 11 million in 2016 to 33 million in 2017. And with the rate of divorce up 5.8%*2 for the first time in five years, the trend is only set to grow.
In a bid to delve deeper into the world of divorce parties, bonprix teamed up with Divorce Party Planner and Author Christine Gallagher to find out exactly what goes on.
According to the party planner, the most likely candidates to enter newly-single life with a bang are women aged 35 and up. The parties themselves are raucous affairs with symbolic games, burning of possessions and Gloria Gaynor’s hit song I Will Survive topping the choice of tunes.
Top divorce party activities include:
- Holding a ring funeral
- Burning partner’s possessions
- Burning significant items such as a veil
- Playing the marriage game – reading out funny quotations about marriage
When it comes to burning possessions, this can be anything symbolic of the marriage and for one woman Christine worked with even involved the torching of a prized hunting trophy that once sat above the couple’s bed. Cathartic to say the least!
Christine Gallagher says: “Divorce is devastating. We need an event to mark this huge life change. All the other significant events in life have ceremonies or rituals. The party can mark the end of something, the beginning of the rest of her life – they’re often coming out of lengthy marriages and aren’t ashamed to shout about the milestone. The point is to own what’s going on, to push aside old ideas of shame around divorce.”
According to Christine, top tips for throwing a divorce party in 2018 involve selecting the guest list wisely, getting the party atmosphere going with at least 20 people, and making sure the party’s guest of honour gets as many gifts as possible.
Rosie Smith, Campaign Manager at bonprix said: “It’s so important that divorce isn’t seen as a dirty word anymore. It’s becoming so much more accepted in society. We’re now seeing a generation of women that are taking risks with their home lives and careers when they know that change is the right thing to do. It’s something that should be celebrated.”
There’s no doubt that divorce parties are here to stay. For more information on divorce, party planning visit the bonprix site here; https://www.bonprix.co.uk/blog/lifestyle/2018-year-divorce-party/ and head to Christine Gallagher’s website here http://www.divorcepartyplanner.com
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NOTES TO EDITORS:
- Data pulled from Crimson Hexagon for the term ‘Divorce Party’
- Statistics from ONS data; https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/divorce/bulletins/divorcesinenglandandwales/2016#main-points
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