Page - 46 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 04/02

Anatomy of a Wedding | 45www.jrfm.eu 2018, 4/2, 39–53 that while this wedding was not religious, this is not to suggest that it was non- traditional. GREY’S ANATOMY WEDDINGS: SUPPORTING FEMALE GENDER PERFORMANCE AND COMPULSORY HETEROSEXUALITY All of the weddings in Grey’s Anatomy lent at least some level of support to feminine gender performance and the social construct of compulsory hetero- sexuality. The main themes in this affirmation are the portrayal of a white wed- ding, depiction of the nervous, irrational woman obsessively planning her wed- ding, the inevitability of or need for a man fulfilled via marriage, and the notion of a fairytale or happy ending. GENDER PERFORMANCE Most of the weddings in Grey’s Anatomy support the traditional “femme” performance of woman. The wedding ceremonies of Izzie and Alex (S5), Cris- tina and Preston (S3), Miranda and Ben (S9), April and Matthew (S10), April and Jackson (S11), and Amelia and Owen (S12/13) all featured floral décor, fairy lights, and brides in white dresses. Even the wedding of Callie and Arizona (S7), the only lesbian wedding in the series, featured both women in white dress- es; neither was a less feminine or “butch” partner. The concept of a woman looking feminine and beautiful, particularly on her wedding day, is of particular note. In the lead-up to Cristina’s wedding with Preston (S3), Cristina’s mother and future mother-in-law both demand that she looks her best and thus sub- ject herself to beauty treatments that she would not normally receive or plan (Preston’s mother insists that, in keeping with family tradition, Cristina remove her eyebrows entirely). Further, Cristina asks her friend Callie, “That last dress was okay, wasn’t it? I mean, it was too tight and I couldn’t breathe, but a wed- ding’s just one day, right?” (S3, E23). It is of particular note that the “pain for beauty” trope was most forcibly imposed upon Cristina, who is arguably the least femme character in the show, given her intent not to have children and to focus exclusively on her career and also her sometimes cold and unemotional disposition. Weddings in the program depict several women as obsessive, irrational, or overly emotional. The qualities of emotionality and obsessiveness fit with the hegemonic expectation of women as “hysterical”. For example, when Izzie is planning Meredith and Derek’s wedding, she is focused almost exclusively on wedding preparation and makes unreasonable demands of the couple and their friends, such as insisting that Derek try on multiple outfits in the midst of his sur- gical schedule and that friends stop treating patients at work to try samples of the catering. Izzie’s excitement for the wedding is noted when she repeatedly