Lauren Brooke from the US was married for for 10 years.
A woman celebrated her divorce by burning her wedding dress and telling her ex she's "the best he will ever have". Lauren Brooke was married to her former partner for 10 years after tying the knot in October 2012. She split with her ex-husband in September 2021 but by law had to be separated for a year and a day before they could file for a divorce in parts of the US.
After the divorce was completed in January 2023, Ms Brooke, alongside her mother Felicia Bowman, 58, and best friend wanted to do an "empowering" photoshoot to mark the occasion. The banker from North Carolina in the United States told South West news Service (SWNS): "The intent was to show the fact that divorce is hard, ugly and painful for all parties involved. There were days when every morning I would wake up and cry. There were times when I thought my life wouldn't improve, but it has."
"We are getting divorced but we have to work with each other for the rest of our lives to bring up our children. I survived it, I came out onto the other side. I don't cry in the morning when I wake up anymore. I am in a better place," Ms Brooke added.
After her ex-husband filed for divorce in October 2022, the 31-year-old thought her "life was over" and was left in a dark place.
"Life happens. People make choices and sometimes people have to live with no consequences. My intent with the separation was that I wanted to work it out, but that did not happen. I said 'if this does not work out if I am in pain, I will make light of it' and we did," said Ms Brooke.
The photoshoot took place in March 2023 in Ms Brookes' backyard. The woman said the shoot was "spontaneous" and "last minute".
The shots were taken by Ms Brookes' mother and her best friend, a videographer, filmed the shoot.
"There were lots of laughs that day. I am terrified of fire and they are lighting the dress on fire with me in it. I felt empowered. I was worried that there might be a moment when I was sad. It is the end of the marriage that I thought I would have forever. You are grieving the loss of the relationship but I didn't it was fun," Ms Brooke said, describing the experience.
The shoot took an hour and Ms Brooke can be seen stamping on wedding pictures, ripping her dress up and setting it on fire.
"I am very happy now. The only reason where I am today is because of my faith. You will get through the other side. A lot of women are shamed for divorce but men seem to be congratulated for it. We are told that no matter what we are supposed to stay and keep our family together, but many women struggle with it. We should not be made to feel ashamed," said Ms Brooke.
Earlier this year, another woman shared how she celebrated her fourth 'divorce-versary' on LinkedIn and Twitter. Shasvati Siva wrote in the post, "In the last 4 years, I have had the opportunity to do so many interesting things that I never imagined in my roadmap of life." Ms Shiva also shared a picture of herself enjoying a quiet day out while sipping some hot drinks taken by her current partner.
In September last year, an invitation card about a group of men in Madhya Pradesh's capital Bhopal celebrating their marriage dissolution from courts after long-drawn divorce battles had gone viral on social media. An NGO named Bhai Welfare Society had created the invitation card, saying that the initiative will "motivate" people that life doesn't end after divorce. However, some groups and individuals staged protests after which it was cancelled.