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OPINION
arcadiaquill.com
FEBRUARY 2022
Marriage Traditions; Inherently Sexist By ASHLEY CHAN
Staff Writer
The notion of marriage seems like a dream come true for many little girls and boys. The highly fantasized idea of the wedding dress and suit that the couple would wear, the vows to be exchanged, the bridesmaids and groomsmen, the reception, the first dance as husband and wife, and the peaceful honeymoon that follows. However, the wedding ceremony is not as dreamy as one might imagine. Much of the wedding is riddled with inherently sexist traditions that have no place in modern day society. Everybody is aware of the classic white wedding dress that is an iconic symbol of marriage. However, this white wedding dress has a history of representing purity, innocence, and virginity. This white color is considered a standard for brides, even if it was not chosen with its historical significance in mind. According to Time, white is an “emblem of the purity and innocence of girlhood, and the unsullied heart she now yields to the chosen one.” This equates purity and innocence to the bride’s value as a woman, demonstrat-
ing how the implication of a white dress can degrade or shame a bride if she does not meet society’s idea of purity; society’s idea of purity is that a woman should abstain from all sexual matters until marriage. Regardless, why should her purity matter, especially when the groom is not expected to walk down the aisle wearing white as well? Not only is the white wedding dress derived from patriarchal culture, but the veil is as well. The veil is traditionally supposed to be worn by the bride until the groom or her father removed it. Traditionally, the veil is also meant to represent the groom’s right to consummate the marriage, and not hers. Additionally, the lifting of the veil defaces the bride, while the groom is unscathed by this tradition. More obviously, the “giving away” of the bride oozes sexism. This tradition began when
Art is Political
By KIRA CAMACHO
Staff Writer
All art is political. It can be of any medium; painting, song, poem, writing— it all has some political substance, even if it wasn’t exactly created that way. In her TedTalk, “Using your Voice as a Political Choice,” Amanda Gorman spoke about how
her art, poetry, is political. It can’t be anything else. Gorman explained how when she is asked to write poems that “aren’t political” it doesn’t make sense, she can’t write an unpolitical poem. “To me [writing poems that aren’t political] sounds like I have to draw a square, but not make it a rectangle or, like, build a car and not make it a vehicle. It doesn’t make much sense,”
brides were their father’s property, and were given away with a dowry. Basically, this is the transition from a bride being their father’s property to being their husband’s property. The passing of the bride from the father to the groom undermines the bride’s independence, and the need for a father’s approval diminishes the bride’s voice. This sexist practice can simply be altered by allowing the bride to walk down the aisle with whomever she likes, and by having the bride w a l k to the groom herself- a demonstration of her free choice. Otherwise, the marriage becomes increasingly like a transaction with the passing of the bride. This iconic phrase,“you may now kiss the bride,” is said as if the bride does not have her own say or authority over the marriage. Rather than giving permission to both the bride and
groom, it only gives a “go-ahead” to the groom. Why not say “you may now kiss each other” instead of only giving authority to the groom? Another most common and notable change after marriage is the alteration of the bride’s last name. It has become normalized for the bride to change her last name to her husband’s last name. In this manner, her family name and identity get stripped away as she enters this marriage, while the groom gets to keep his identity. The adoption of a new last name highlights how the bride never had her “own” last name. After all, she formerly used her father’s last name and simply transitioned into taking her husband’s last name. Meaning, she is always seen as someone else’s and not her own. Marriage should be a union between two equal halves coming together to forge a whole. Unfortunately, some marriage traditions have sexism embedded into its nature. With the progression of society, there could be emerging means to combat the sexist system that found roots in marriage traditions. achan@arcadiaquill.com Graphics courtesy of FONTS.COM and FREESVG.ORG
she said. Especially in today’s political climate, there are plenty of issues for artists to comment on. For example, musicians like Jack White frequently voice their opinions in everyday life as well as in song. Icky Thump by the White Stripes “[confronts] America’s contentious immigration policies,” wrote Denis Sullivan in Rolling Stone. The powerful, hard-rock song is perfect for expressing the group’s anger against immigration policies. In 2018, Jack White dedicated the song to Donald Trump by adding Trump’s name to the lyrics and vocalizing his criticisms against the former President. Lyrics and music written by a musician is directly from their brain; inevitably, it will have their ideals and opinions. A lot of well-known songs actually have political meanings; Fortnuate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival, Zombie by The Cranberries, and Give Peace a Chance by the Plastic Ono Band. These songs fueled an angry generation, and continue to do so today. The political aspects of art aren’t only from modern years. This practice goes back to 1338, when the Council of Nine was looking to send a message to the Republic of Siena. The message was a fresco, titled The Allegory of Good and Bad Government by Ambrogio Lorenzetti. The three paneled fresco dramatically illustrated the various effects of good and bad government. The patron, the Council of Nine, was a civic group of the time. The Republic of Siena was one of the most powerful Italian city-states. The fresco commissioned by the Nine reminded the magistrates of how much was at stake. The chaotic examples of bad government, and gar-
gantuan size helped the fresco to easily grab the attention of its audience. Not only was the piece political, but a perfect way to send a warning to the Republic. In 1967, an oil painting was made by Liu Chunhua called Chairman Mao en route to Anyuan. Not only was this painting a beautiful landscape work by Chunhua, but it was also communist propaganda. The piece was a result of the Cultural Revolution, a period in which artists had to create “Mao paintings,” in order to help Zedong reassert his authority over the Chinese government. Very political. The painting depicted a young Zedong, who was in his seventies at the time, as one of the common people. He stands on a cliff above the clouds and mountains, ready to conquer anything. At first glance, the painting doesn’t seem political at all. With no context, you can only assume that the man in this painting is of some sort of nobility. In comparison to the obvious Allegory of Good and Bad Government, this painting is subtle in its political ideals. Though you may not notice the political meaning of art, it always has one. So, Amanda Gorman is right, “all art is political. The decision to create, the artistic choice to have a voice, the choice to be heard is the most political act of all.”
kcamacho@arcadiaquill.com Graphic courtesy of FONTSPACE.COM and COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG
