If, like me, you're the type of chick who favors tight, revealing, and less-is-more outfits, why would you wear anything different to tie the knot? Sexy wedding dresses are all the rage, according to The Atlantic, and more women are fleeing aesthetic tradition and letting it all hang out instead of covering up in layers of lace, crepe, and crinoline. Some might blame this trend on a hypersexual culture of misogyny, but there might actually be a few feminist reasons to mix up your matrimonial garb, too.
My earliest icon of sexy wedding attire is hands down Stephanie Seymour in Guns N' Roses' video for "November Rain." While her dress errs on the traditional side, it still manages to show off her insanely gorgeous gams (garter included) while maintaining a super sultry vibe. With her in mind, when I did a spur-of-the-moment ceremony in Vegas, I donned a hot pink leopard print spandex number, and when I had an official wedding with family, I did so in a black see-through Badgley Mischka dress. No, I didn't wear those outfits for my dude, or to prove I'm hot even though I was about to get married, or because my body defines my worth or some noise, but because that was how I felt most comfortable. (Have you ever tried to actually walk while wearing a train? Yikes.) The traditional covered up look did not match my personality, and I know a lot of women feel the exact same way. These are five feminist reasons to say YES to a sexy wedding dress.
1. You aren't buying into the idea that your husband owns your body
Tradition has it that you'd cover yourself up on your wedding day because it wouldn't be appropriate to let anyone see the goods before the deal is sealed, right? Well, wearing a revealing wedding dress shoots that antiquated idea down in a very visible way. You are not suddenly some guy's property to be kept hidden for his eyes only because you get married, so why not show yourself off to the world if you're so inclined?
2. You aren't pretending to be a virgin
There's no shame in having insane amounts of sex before you're married, just as there's no shame in waiting until you're married to have sex. A sexy wedding dress says, "yes, I am a sexual being whether you dig it or not." Your worth is not defined by your hymen status.
3. You're proving you can be married and be sexual
Wearing a hot wedding dress can also help offset the depressing notion that marriage means the end of your sex life. If the only reason you wear a sexy dress is because you feel hot and your partner-to-be is turned on, why not? Who says your entire wedding can't be just one long evening of foreplay?
4. It's body positive
Some feminists say we only show off our bodies because we've been brainwashed to do so, but others say that mindful choices about your aesthetic and your physicality can be radically feminist — particularly if you don't fit into the cis, white, straight, thin mold. So yeah, wearing a sexy wedding dress can definitely be very body positive, and very feminist.
5. You're saying to hell with tradition
There are so many ways to say "suck it" to marital traditions, and aesthetics can go a long way to do just that. Sure, a sexy wedding dress can be just another dress, but if you're showing some skin and reveling in your sexuality and your body while proving you're nobody's property, it can be a whole lot more.
Images: Katie May Bridal; Giphy
