Has Hollywood Destroyed the Sanctity of Marriage?

Has Hollywood Destroyed the Sanctity of Marriage?

Hollywood, the land famous for its movie stars, is often ringing with announcements of celebrity marriages. However, divorce announcements occur almost as frequently, if not more often. This leads to the issue of Hollywood destroying the sanctity of marriage. Marriage is indeed the holiest of relations that two people can have, and is not something to be entered into lightly. The sanctity of marriage refers to the sacredness and purity of marriage. Once in a marriage, the couple must be devoted to it and spend time to make the union work, at all costs. The greatest threat to the sanctity of marriage is the lack of respect for it, which leads to the deterioration of the holy union, and often divorces. Thus, I stand that the marriages in Hollywood have shattered the traditional sanctity of marriage.

Hollywood marriages show a high rate of divorces and promiscuous activities such as adultery. Divorce rates of Hollywood marriages are indeed unusually high, especially among celebrities. Many celebrities lack respect for the sanctity of marriage, and this is demonstrated by promiscuous actions of celebrities such as cheating on their spouses. A well-known example would be Brad Pitt’s infidelity with co-star Angelina Jolie, which led to his divorce with Jennifer Aniston after five years of marriage. Moreover, Hollywood is also responsible for the many television series that center around the plot of infidelity. This is not a good message to send about marriage, which should be a holy union between two individuals. Young people are especially impressionable to the lifestyles of Hollywood celebrities and the demonstrated immoral actions of these celebrities will probably influence their idea of marriage.

Besides that, a number of Hollywood celebrities use marriage as a publicity stunt, which conflicts with the idea of marriage as a union between two individuals based on sincere and genuine affections. Celebrities make headlines when they begin romantic relationships and make even more headlines when these relationships end. An example would be the infamous marriage between Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries that lasted only 72 days. Most celebrities who professed their love for their spouses in countless interviews still end up divorced. Besides that, every time a spectacle is made out of a celebrity’s wedding instead of appreciating the true meaning of marriage, people lose respect for what marriage is really supposed be about.

However, many would argue that Hollywood has not destroyed the sanctity of marriage as the media only reports failed marriages because of its entertainment value. The media gives a more detailed perspective on Hollywood marriages that end in divorce and does not document the successful marriages as much as the unsuccessful ones. Nevertheless, these reports are the ones that are known around the world and have an impact how we perceive marriage. It is the rising rate of divorce and frail marriages in Hollywood, a powerful influence worldwide, that captured people’s attention to the subject of marriage and its sanctity. Therefore, although it is arguable that the exposure of failed marriages outweighs those that are successful, it cannot be denied that the rate of divorce among Hollywood celebrities is increasing and this diminishes the idea of sanctity of marriage at a global scale.

In a nutshell, marriage is a sacred union of two individuals who make a permanent and exclusive commitment to each other. Hollywood, among many other factors, is indeed one of the more influential causes that have defiled the traditional view of the sanctity of marriage. Cluttered with celebrity divorces, Hollywood shines a negative light on the whole idea of marriage. Nevertheless, with good critical thinking skills, we would be able to avoid falling victim to the marriage-destructive influences that is demonstrated by Hollywood celebrities and television shows.