The sanctity of marriage as we know it is quickly deteriorating, and there’s one main culprit to blame for this. No, it’s not the gays vying for their right to marry. As I see it, the downfall of marriage in the U.S. is in the manicured and privileged hands of celebrities. 

In our ever-glamorous and occasionally vain culture, we seem to hold celebrities to a certain level of esteem, even if they are only more famous for their sexual exploits and chaotic families than their nauseatingly publicized business ventures. But you can’t escape them, no matter what you do. Every time I turn a corner, I hear someone referencing a celebrity as if they are someone they took a class with or met at a bar the weekend before.

But you can’t point your finger without having three pointing back at you — I, too, am a victim of this celebrity-obsessed culture. Much to my dismay, I’m no better than everyone else. I can’t help but feel like this obsession has begun to take its toll on Americans, and not because we are starting to grow tired of hearing about any celebrity with an alliterative name.

It seems like the idolized idea of marriage that generations before have boasted about is crumbling. It’s turning into some trivial and lackadaisical event in someone’s life because of something called “the starter marriage,” which is a marriage that lasts less than five years and lacks little bundles of joys. Despite the fact that people are marrying a little bit older than the previous generation and therefore should be a little bit more mature, they are often going into the union with the option of divorce if things don’t work out. 

So where does this newfound mindset come from? Is it because we are just lazier at relationships than our parents and grandparents or is it because society has been reinforcing the convenience of divorce? 

Think of any celebrity that has gotten married over the last decade. How many of them are still together in happily wedded bliss? Now compare that number to the amount of marriages that lasted for less than a few years yet you still remember the photos from their over-the-top wedding celebration as if it were yesterday. The answer to that question is even scarier than Lindsay Lohan’s performance in “Liz & Dick.” 

What is happening and how can we get back to a time when divorce was only an option for those with extreme issues? Back to a time when people did not view their first commitment as a warm-up for the final marathon? When will people stop viewing celebrity relationships as healthy examples? Because let’s be honest, we all know that these relationships have the life expectancy of skim milk.