Weddings: Hegemonic Practices

Engstrom (2008) argues in his paper that weddings are considered hegemonic practices due to the fact that getting married is considered “the life goal for women” (p. 61). He believes that the media and publications surrounding weddings and wedding materials (for example, dresses, veils, flowers, etc.) make weddings seem glamorous. Engstrom’s focus on hegemony and women is the media that surrounds weddings. Engstrom (2008) writes, “these bridal media serve as an example of hegemony…as the exercise of indirect power as exemplified by civil institutions, among which he includes the media industry” (p. 61). In that, weddings have become part of this category of dominant practices due to the media presenting ideas around weddings. The media portrays weddings as a goal that should be fulfilled by the entire population. Examples of media would be reality TV shows, magazines, advertisements, and even movies surrounding the idea of marriage. All of these examples help support the notion that marriage is considered a ‘hegemonic practice’

62). This idea means that this bridal company has created an organization that controls the idea of weddings in media. Their website/company promotes weddings in such a way that their ideas are very appealing to those planning such events, especially brides. ‘The Knot’ is an example of a form of media that controls the economy of weddings from their “relationships with major retailers and media” (Engstrom, 2008, p. 62). In that, these relationships display the political economy of the media, especially pointing to weddings. Having big names on their website helps them promote the idea of a wedding and how it should be done, promoting these ideas to brides and future brides nationwide. Companies like ‘The Knot’ help push the idea that marriage should be a life goal for men, but mainly