Anyone afraid of becoming the infamous “cat lady” is definitely going to feel down about recent Miley Cyrus news. For those who missed it, the nineteen-year-old super star got engaged to her fellow celebrity boyfriend Liam Hemsworth. The couple met three years ago while filming the majorly romantic movie The Last Song based on a book by Nicholas Sparks. Hemsworth has since starred in the Hunger Games movies and proposed to Cyrus with a custom designed ring. Hollywood love story aside, Cyrus is still merely nineteen and already planning a wedding. Does it seem to anyone else that people are getting married younger and younger?
Newcomer Cher Lloyd, who didn’t win the UK’s “X Factor” but still scored a record deal, is only 18 years old and also newly engaged to her boyfriend. Lloyd’s single “I Want U Back” recently placed in the top 100 on iTunes, though the song definitely does not reflect the current stage of her relationship. Another prime example is Courtney Stodden, solely famous for being a sixteen-year-old bride to a fifty-two-year-old actor. Recently, as more and more celebrities run down the aisle, it doesn’t seem far-fetched to say they suffer from a “dying alone with cats” phobia.
So, is 19 too young to get married? Some signs point to yes. An E! online article says that for the under-twenty-five married couple, money is the biggest stressor, but since money is no object for celebrities like Cyrus, the biggest issue will probably be the long distance. Although, they have been making it work for three years already, so they might have a chance. Another issue is maturity. Human brains don’t fully mature until the mid twenties, so while Hemsworth may be getting close to the right age at twenty-one, Cyrus has a while to go, as do Cher Lloyd and Courtney Stodden.
A Huffington Post article written by Katelyn Mullen makes a different argument for the young engagements. Mullen sees famous teenagers on a whole different level than average teenagers, pointing out that Cyrus “already owns her own home, where she and fiancé Liam Hemsworth have been living together and going about their business like, well, a happily married couple. Both she and Liam consistently work, building both of their bank accounts and resumes. They have been in a committed relationship for nearly three years and have shown few, if any, signs of having an unhappy or unhealthy relationship. She is, for all intents and purposes, a functioning, successful adult.”
Both sides make good points, but overall I’m siding with Mullen. Having a best friend who married at nineteen, I know what it’s like to think it’s a crazy, stupid idea. But Cyrus isn’t facing any of the obstacles a typical nineteen-year-old bride would face like my friend did. She has plenty of money to spare and so does her fiancé. She has her own place, pays for all her own things, makes her own decisions, and has her parents’ blessings. While the emotional maturity level definitely plays a part, it’s impossible to say whether or not this relationship will really last until “death do them part.” I think it’s safe to say that Cyrus is mature enough to get married and leave the cat lady worries to the rest of us.