Divorce Parties Are a New Hot Invite. ‘It Sort of Ended Up as a Really Fun Funer

livemint.com:

After Brandi Stellers finalized her divorce, she invited close friends to a soiree in May. She mixed signature cocktails, hung a “Bye Felicia" banner and handed out fake rose petals to toss in the air. Party decorations included a photo of a pair of penguins, torn down the middle.

“I ripped the penguins in half because penguins are monogamous birds who are supposed to mate for life," she says. “Well, I’m not your penguin anymore." The newly uncoupled are throwing themselves blowout bashes to mark their liberation from unhappy marriages, almost like reverse bachelorette parties. “I wanted to celebrate not a divorce, but a new chapter, with people whom I love who want the best for me," says Stellers, who works at a cloud-computing company in Columbus, Ohio.

For most of history, divorce hasn’t been an event touted to the world. Now, a culture shift is under way. The U.S.

divorce rate has been dipping, but those who get them feel freer to trumpet their breakups. The number of American adults who consider divorce to be morally acceptable has hit historic highs, according to Gallup polls. “Divorce used to be something to be ashamed of due to societal pressures and stereotypes," says Nicole Sodoma, a divorce lawyer who wrote the book “Please Don’t Say You’re Sorry" about the topic.

“But today people have really decided to nip that societal shame and instead embrace being divorced as another stage of life that some of us experience." On Etsy and Amazon, brands sell splitsville swag, including “End of an Error" sashes, “Thank U Next" rose-gold foil balloons, and “I do. I did. I’m done" T-shirts.