My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding

A Brash Reality Hit From Britain: The Understated Title Says It All
First things first, the people profiled in the British reality series "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding" do not consider themselves to be gypsies. They are travelers and they represent a traditional way of life that seems at odds with modern conventions. Let me make one other thing clear, this documentary series is not a serious look at a different culture. Instead, it is big and brash and designed for voyeuristic appeal. One of the biggest days of a traveler girl's life is their wedding day (although you might be unenthusiastic with how young these brides-to-be usually range). With over-the-top ceremony and garish extravagance, the weddings are spectacular in the most tacky way imaginable. Here's the deal. You either love this type of show or you hate it. There's not a lot of middle ground. American TV is overloaded with reality programs where the audience is virtually asked to laugh at the show's subjects (that is when they are not cringing). It's a huge marketplace, so I'm sure that more...

just my personal opinion
This show is definitely either loved or hated as most people don't care too much,as I have discovered, for Travellers. Personally I love this show. The culture is interesting and simply fascinates me. I believe this to be one of those shows where the individual viewer must decide ultimately for themself as to whether or not they love it or find it utter garbage. Like I mentioned before, I love it.
The girls are rather young when they marry which is a point brought up by people who dislike it but in our own modern day culture, girls are getting married and pregnant (sometimes just the latter) at 16 if not younger. At least these girls are raised with high morals of no sex before marriage whatsoever. That's perhaps the biggest thing I believe that would make the show inappropriate to some. Its refreshing though to get an insiders perspective into such a culture based on tradition.

Stunningly Awful
To be clear, I recommend this (set of) DVD(s). It is very interesting, but it is also quite awful. And I mean "awful" both in the traditional sense as well as in the sense of causing one to be full of awe.

Pretending to be a documentary that investigates the world of the English Gypsies and Irish Travelers, it is, in fact, only mildly restrained propaganda on behalf of these same groups. For those who are ignorant of the (English) Gypsy culture, the series is clearly intended to create sympathy for them. The hook is to show young girls parading around in dresses that cost thousands of pounds and weigh up to a couple hundred pounds. But there is so much more.

Gypsy courtship. Gypsy academics. Gypsy personal hygiene (apparently, they buy their "caravans", ie, trailers, without toilets but don't use them even if the trailers have them).

Men are, for various reasons, mostly ignored. Likewise ignored is from where all the money comes to buy the dresses and...

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