Ivy Getty’s San Francisco Wedding Is Why We Need a Wealth Tax
The ceremony wasn’t a ‘miracle’ — it was a window into a dystopian hellscape
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Up until recently — before this past Tuesday, to be exact — I had no idea who Ivy Getty was or why masses of Instagram influencers and TikTokers fawned over her. When “Getty” became a trending Twitter topic on November 8, I initially thought something must have gone horribly wrong with Getty Images; a quick log into my account quelled my anxiety, and I could continue downloading creative stock images with ease. The Getty that was trending was, apparently, the surname of billionaire John Gilbert Getty’s 26-year-old daughter, who married in an affluent ceremony in San Francisco this past weekend.
Her estimated net worth? Somewhere in the billions, thanks to the family’s immense wealth that’s mostly staked in oil fortunes.
Money isn’t the source of the world’s greed. It’s our relationship with money that is the said origin of these oligarchical tendencies.
Her then-trending credibility? Hosting what was considered by media outlets a multi-million-dollar fantasy marriage to photographer Tobias Alexander Engel, which was officiated by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi at City Hall.
Donning a black tuxedo with what appeared to be an air plant fastened to his blazer, the husband-to-be patiently waited for Getty to walk down the aisle in a layered, quasi-vintage dress from John Galliano circa 2016, embellished in a latticework of mirror shards that were placed to look like flower petals, keeping to the ceremony’s dreamy theme, with nods to her late grandmother’s lavishly decorated home.
Ivy Getty’s San Francisco wedding was far from a marvel. It was an odious display of wealth and an example of the social (and cognitive) dissonance the 1% possess.
Guests — which included high-brow politicians, controversial social media influencers (of near equal wealth to the bride by comparable marital proxy), and various other family and friends — were treated to Mark…
