Gender Role Commodification by the Wedding Industry

Abstract

Women have for decades been socio-culturally constructed as an object of the institution of marriage. The media has played a major part in constructing an ideal of femininity portrayed through the narrative of a bride. This glorified image of a perfect bride later postulated marriage to be a fit state for the fulfillment of women and as a tribute to femininity. This paper purposes to critically analyze the manner in which the media commodifies gender roles to promote both the institution of marriage and the wedding industry as a whole. This conceptual paper is compiled on the basis of relevant literature and examines ideas related to gender roles and marriage. The paper contemplates studies conducted by Boden (2001), Engstrom (2008), Chang (2015) and Parker (2016) to unveil a phenomenon that appears simple but exerts an enormous social, economic, and cultural impact. It is found that heterosexual relationships and marriage imply the subordination of women to men through the accomplishment of prescribed stereotypes and social roles. This paper is expected to expand the awareness of the extended implications of the wedding industry in Indonesia.