Visual markers of marital status

Visual markers of marital status, as well as social status, may include clothing, hairstyle, accessories, jewelry, tattoos and other bodily adornments. Visual markers of marital status are particularly important because they indicate that a person should not be approached for flirtation, courtship, or sex. In some cultures, married people enjoy special privileges or are addressed differently by members of the community.

Marital status markers are usually gender-specific.

Husband

Male marital status markers are usually less elaborate than female marital status markers. In many cultures they may not exist.

Jewellery

In many Western nations, some husbands wear a wedding ring on the third or fourth finger of the left hand. In parts of Europe, especially in German-speaking regions, as well as in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Turkey, and Ukraine, the wedding ring is worn on the ring finger of the right hand. Some spouses choose to wear their wedding ring on the left hand in Turkey.

In China, Western influence has resulted in some husbands donning wedding rings. Traditionally, Chinese men did not wear rings and were expected to have several concubines. A ring symbolizing marriage to only one spouse was not considered necessary.[1]

Modernly the material of wedding rings is not strictly prescribed; they may be forged of gold, rose gold, white gold, argentium silver, palladium, platinum, titanium, or tungsten carbide.

Manual labourers sometimes wear rings of inexpensive or more durable materials like tungsten while working or bear an ink tattoo to avoid damaging a ring of precious metal or personal injury.

Beard

Among the Amish, Castellani, and Hutterite communities of Canada and the United States, only married men are permitted to wear a beard. Unmarried men are required to shave.[2][3]

Tallit

In some Ashkenazi Jewish communities, men wear a prayer shawl, denominated a "tallit" or "tallis", only upon marriage. It is customary for the father of the bride to present the groom with a tallit as a wedding present. In other Jewish communities, both Ashkenazic and Sephardic, all males wear the tallis, but only husbands wear it over their heads.

Wife

Jewellery

The concept of mourning jewelry, which is colored black, is becoming an accepted, visible custom for widows and widowers. Usually a black wedding band is worn on the third finger of the left hand. Usually the ring is a black wedding band, but black eternity bands and black solitaires are also worn. Such jewelry is denominated a "widow's ring" and the mourning ring is added to the marriage ring(s) and worn for the duration of the mourning period.

Headwear

In Jewish tradition, a wife is expected to cover her head when she enters a synagogue. In Orthodox Jewish communities, women wear head coverings at all times outside of her home, but they sometimes only cover part of her hair, similar to a hat. In some Hasidic communities, women shave their heads after their weddings and wear close fitting black scarves. The kind of head covering may be determined by local custom or personal preference. Some communities permit her hair to be visible, but in others no strand is left uncovered. Hats, headscarves, snoods, wigs, or a combination thereof are used. Turkmen wives wear a special hat similar to a circlet that is denominated a "Alyndaňy".

Hairstyle

Cosmetics

Clothes

References

  1. 1 2 F_100620. "Chinese men find wedding rings cumbersome?". Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  2. Kraybill, Donald (2001). The Riddle of Amish Culture. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 68. ISBN 0-8018-6772-X.
  3. Hostetler, John (1997). Hutterite Society. The Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 174. ISBN 0-8018-5639-6.
  4. 1 2 3 "Sealed with ring at Chinese weddings". Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  5. "Right Hand or Left Hand?". Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  6. http://www.nipic.com/show/4/79/7f01e48287204bfa.html
  7. "珠宝钻石广告源文件__海报设计_广告设计_源文件图库_昵图网nipic.com". Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  8. "Diamonds, De Beers, CSO". Retrieved 26 March 2016.
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