HAPPY ANNIVORCERY!
0 Comments | Evening Standard; London (UK), Jul 19, 2010 | by Katie Law
HAPPY Annivorcery! No, that’s not a misspelling, it’s the annual celebration of your divorce. The term originates from the US, of course, but it is now catching on fast here. I first came across it earlier this summer when I met Gina, an American investment banker who has lived in London for 10 years, who invited me to her barbecue annivorcery party in Hampstead.
“I’ve been divorced for three years and each year I throw a big party to celebrate my separation,” says Gina. “I make my ex look after the kids while I invite all my best single boyfriends and girlfriends.
It’s like a big pat on the back to myself for having had the balls to get out. You want to celebrate the fact you did it. It’s also an interesting way of discovering who your friends are.”
Another friend of Gina’s, Margaret, with whom she shares the school run, chose to give her annivorcery party on Valentine’s Day. Invitees were asked to bring two friends each, who were either single or divorced. “The guests were all professionals — mostly bankers or in advertising. Everyone there was either single, separated or divorced, so in some ways it was like being a teenager again, the difference being we all talked about our personal experiences of divorce, in some cases comparing the pain to childbirth.”
Nor are Gina and Margaret the only ones. Celebrities such as Heather Mills, Gail Porter and Katie Price have all thrown divorce celebration bashes complete with cakes and presents, while Julia Macmillan, founder of Toyboywarehouse.
com, has noticed it’s a growing trend with women on the website. She says recently divorced women throw annivorcery parties not only to celebrate their divorce but to announce their availability. “It’s a great way of saying ‘I’m back on the market and want to have fun’. And from what I’ve picked up, men seem to love the parties too, especially the younger ones. It’s a really hot date.”
And where there’s a trend, merchandising opportunities will surely follow
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