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Wedding Apr 26, 2013

Your Guide to Royal Weddings

On April 29, expectant parents Prince William and Kate Middleton are celebrating their two-year wedding anniversary!

by Annie Scudder

On April 29, expectant parents Prince William and Kate Middleton are celebrating their two-year wedding anniversary! In 2011, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge tied the knot in a royal wedding seen 'round the world, breaking the record for the largest online live-streaming audience with a record 72 million live views from people across 188 countries. While many royal weddings don't garner the attention of Prince William and Kate Middleton's big day, they don't lack in lavishness.

Will and Kate's nuptials were part of a long tradition of elaborate royal weddings around the world. Last year, the tiny country of Luxembourg treated its Crown Prince Guillaume to an extravagant affair when he married Belgian Countess Stephanie de Lannoy. The celebration, which reportedly cost around $650,000 and was funded by taxpayers, spanned multiple days and included a guest list packed with kings, queens, and other royals from around the world. In Brunei, Princess Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah, the fifth daughter of Brunei's sultan, married Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini at her father's 1,700-room palace in front of 3,000 guests. A state dinner followed, and Queen Elizabeth II even sent her best wishes.

These royals make up some of the lesser-known but just as regal royals of the world. And just like the Brits, they know how to throw opulent weddings for members of their families. From the wedding for the future emperor of Japan in 1924 to Grace Kelly's Monaco spectacular in 1956 to Will and Kate's big day on April 29, 2011, here is a guide to the world's royal weddings over the years.

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nostalgia Apr 23, 2013

Sorority Sisters in Pop Culture

If you haven't yet seen the sorority letter gone viral, you may just have to read it to believe it.

by Lisette Mejia

If you haven't yet seen the sorority letter gone viral, you may just have to read it to believe it. In it, a member of Delta Gamma's University of Maryland chapter sounds off at her sorority sisters, warning them to stop being awkward and boring at mixers with a fraternity. It's even spawned spoofs, with Michael Shannon reading the letter and even Barbie taking a stab at her turn.

While they may not portray sororities in the best light, there are plenty of other moments in pop culture where the girl groups have made us laugh and given us plenty to talk about through movies, TV, books, games, and more. Ahead, check out some of our favorites, and let us know what yours are. Get ready to snap those fingers!

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TV Apr 22, 2013

Swinging in the '60s: Don Draper Doesn't Want to Share

This week's episode of Mad Men almost turned into an episode of Wife Swap.

by Annie Scudder

This week's episode of Mad Men almost turned into an episode of Wife Swap. While out to dinner with Megan's soap opera costar and her head-writer husband, who have been married for 18 years, the Drapers are propositioned to trade spouses. As they're wrapping up dinner, the husband, who seems to be making eyes at Don, says, "Why don't you let me get the check. We go back to our pad, smoke some grass, and see what happens."

Don's not so into it. If he's going to sleep with a friend's wife — which he does — he wants to do it in secret. And as we see later during Megan's soap opera love scene, Don doesn't like the idea of his wife kissing another man, even for professional reasons. While it's not Don's bag, by 1968, partner sharing had swung into popular consciousness. Already in the 1950s, "wife swapping," as it was called, had caught the media's attention. Legend has it that "key parties" began on military bases and moved into suburbia after the Korean War. Without all the subtle wining and dining Don and Megan experience, there was no mistaking the point of such events. At key parties, husbands would toss their house keys into a bowl. Then the wives would draw a set from the bowl at random and hook up with the owner.

By 1969, swinging came to Hollywood with the critically acclaimed film Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. In the clip below, you can see the two bourgeois couples attempting to get in on the free love of the late '60s. With the intention of trying out the swinger lifestyle, they smoke some grass and see what happens. Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice received four Oscar nominations, and the film went on to become a sitcom in the '70s.

women Apr 20, 2013

Vintage Wedding Ads Make Your Housewife Dreams Come True

Wedding season is all around us, and we share plenty of tips here on POPSUGAR for how to be a modern bride and bridesmaid.

by Tara Block

Wedding season is all around us, and we share plenty of tips here on POPSUGAR for how to be a modern bride and bridesmaid. But sometimes we like to take a look back at what it was like to walk down the aisle back in the day. Looking through these vintage wedding ads, I gather that the best way to secure a husband and have the wedding of your dreams involved a lot of soap, silverware, and toasters. Check out these retro ads now, and see how the advertisers of the Mad Men era caught the attention of brides and brides-to-be!

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Books Apr 17, 2013

The Evolution of Sexy Librarians in Pop Culture

There seems to be two sides to the stereotypical coin when it comes to portraying librarians.

by Tara Block

There seems to be two sides to the stereotypical coin when it comes to portraying librarians. They're either shy, strict, shushing, and often elderly ladies, or they're the young, hot "sexy librarian" who will take off her glasses and let her hair down to seduce you. But there have been exceptions to the rule, proving that smart and witty librarians can be "sexy" without the cleavage. No matter how they're portrayed, it's interesting to see the many iterations of librarians in books, movies, and even music videos over the years. Let's take a look back at the evolution of these book-stamping babes now!

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nostalgia Apr 09, 2013

A History of Music Festivals

Music festivals are nothing new, but the popularity of events like Coachella and Bonnaroo has grown even larger in recent years.

by Laura Marie Meyers

Music festivals are nothing new, but the popularity of events like Coachella and Bonnaroo has grown even larger in recent years. The alternative, counterculture spirit of festivals has evolved into more mainstream, all-encompassing events. And although 1969's Woodstock may be the most talked-about music festival in history, it wasn't the first of its kind.

Pinpointing the origins of these events depends largely on your definition of "music festival," but we're taking a look at some of the most popular, history-making festivals from the past century. Just in time for Coachella, take a look at this brief timeline of music festivals through the years.

Source: Getty

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history Apr 08, 2013

Megan Draper Becomes a 1960s Soap Star

It's December 1967 in the season six premiere of Mad Men, and Megan Draper is a rising soap star on the fictional show To Have and to Hold.

by Annie Scudder

It's December 1967 in the season six premiere of Mad Men, and Megan Draper is a rising soap star on the fictional show To Have and to Hold. Considering soap opera popularity reached an all-time high in the late '60s, this could be a big break for Megan.

Beginning as radio programs produced by soap-company-owned studios like Procter & Gamble Productions, soap operas came packaged as episodic weekday broadcasts meant to appeal to housewives. They emphasized drama between families and lovers, as well as extended story arcs. After moving to TV, soaps were broadcasted daily in 15-minute segments until the late 1960s, when they all moved to a 30-minute format — meaning more airtime for a budding actress like Megan. In the 1980s and 1990s, the shows explored social issues like mental illness and AIDS, yet as more women took the Peggy Olson path, opting to work outside the home, viewership and budgets declined. Even so, Megan's choice of work is not completely irrelevant today. After being canceled in 2011, new episodes of All My Children and One Life to Live will begin streaming on Hulu and iTunes on April 29.

There was never a show called To Have and to Hold. But when a fan asks Megan for an autograph, the woman says, "I can't believe Victor won't acknowledge you," giving a nod to Victor Lord, the patriarch of real-life soap One Life to Live. So why did Mad Men apparently choose One Life to Live as its inspiration? Perhaps because it juxtaposes nicely with the Mad Men season five finale title, "You Only Live Twice," based on the James Bond song. Together they fit with the show's constant question: do you only have one life to live, or can you remake yourself? Don Draper/Dick Whitman has tried the latter by literally assuming someone else's life. And just like Don, Megan is now recognized as an alter ego: her character Corrine from the show. In the season six premiere, Betty is giving the whole "remake yourself" thing a try too, dying her hair black and trading her Grace Kelly look for Elizabeth Taylor. Will it work? I just hope no one gets pushed down the stairs.

women Apr 08, 2013

Margaret Thatcher's Ironclad Words of Wisdom

Margaret Thatcher, the first, and so far only, female British prime minister, has died.

by Tara Block

Margaret Thatcher, the first, and so far only, female British prime minister, has died. She was 87 and suffered a stroke after being in poor health for years.

Margaret Thatcher came to power in 1979 as an uncompromising conservative. Although she was dubbed it by naysayers, Margaret actually liked her "Iron Lady" nickname. After all, her ironclad strong will, motivation, and toughness helped her achieve her often-controversial accomplishments while in office. Whether it's been in speeches, books, or interviews, the chemist-turned-world leader Margaret was never shy about her personal opinions and political beliefs. Here are some of her most wise words about life, love, and being a powerful woman.

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nostalgia Apr 07, 2013

Booze, Bras, and Husbands: What Women Want According to Vintage Advertising

Sunday is the season premiere of Mad Men, and we can't wait to find out how things turn out for Peggy, Joan, Megan, and the rest of the women from the show.

by Tara Block

Sunday is the season premiere of Mad Men, and we can't wait to find out how things turn out for Peggy, Joan, Megan, and the rest of the women from the show. The series explores what it was like for women in the '60s and how that was connected to the world of advertising. When it comes to the history of our gender, nothing is quite as fascinating and disturbing as the history of advertising as it relates to women. Vintage ads for, about, and featuring the fairer sex range from retro-cute to scarily sexist with their portrayal of women. But we like to look back at these vintage ads for everything from cocktails to underwear to feminine hygiene products to remember how far we've come as well as how far we are from where we need to be in the world of advertising. Plus, a lot of these old ads are so backwards and ridiculous, you have to laugh. So take a trip back in time with us to see what ad execs of the past thought women would want!

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nostalgia Apr 04, 2013

A History of Mermaids in Pop Culture

Mermaids are having their moment in the sun, er, water.

by Tara Block

Mermaids are having their moment in the sun, er, water. TLC's My Strange Addiction featured a merman obsessed with the tailed creatures this week, and in recent years famous ladies like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry have portrayed them. The special Mermaids: The Body Found explored the possibility that they really exist, and the Disney princess version got her own ride at Disneyland.

The mythological half-human, half-fish ladies have been immortalized in literature, art, and iconic films, and I just can't get enough of their sexy, sassy, and oftentimes trouble-making ways. So dive into the underwater world of these mysterious beings with this brief history of mermaids in pop culture.

Source: Getty

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