The Glorification of Early Marriage in Indonesia.

Early marriage isn’t about happily ever after, like we used to be told, honey. It can be rough, like REALLY rough.

I always wanted to become a princess sleeping beauty when I was little. I mean, this bitch just sleeps, waits for the prince goddamn charming to come fucking over, and voilaaa~ she’s a married woman and became a queen of Ulstead.

Since we were young, we have constantly been fed fairy tales where Prince Charming rescues you from the struggle of your life and takes you to a magical castle, and suddenly, voila! Happily ever after.

Have you ever wondered why they fed girls about marriage at such an early age? Little did we know that’s not how things go in real life. Early marriage is not all sunshine and roses, honey. It can be rough, like REALLY rough. Abuse, unwanted kids, dreams down the drain — that’s the dark side nobody talks about.

Sure, sometimes it’s magical, but other times? You can feel trapped in a snoozefest, less free than you pictured. So, pump the brakes on that happily ever after fantasy, especially regarding early marriage.

Take my old man, for example. He married my mom after his mom passed away, and he needed a woman to take care of him and his brother. Not out of love but for sheer practicality, a way to secure stability for our family. It’s not a romantic story.

Indonesia, as a country of Muslim-majority communities, had intense glorification of early marriage based on their belief that marriage is to complete religion and avoid adultery. It’s all tied up with religion and this idea that being married keeps you on the straight and narrow. It also has to do with how they see women, such as their lives are supposed to be all about family and caring for the house.

Society expects women to put their families before their dreams and goals. Getting married young fits right in with that. Get the appeal of starting a family, but hold on! Doing it too early can be, well, tricky. Picture all the experiences you might put on hold!

Take my mom, for example. She misses school at an early age and women who want to explore who they are and what they want. On top of that, feeling pressured to follow these traditions can make them feel stuck, such as if they’re on a path they didn’t even choose.

This system feels stuck in the past, as if we’re holding ourselves back with outdated rules and expectations. However, people are waking up and realizing to ditch the limitations and build new environments where everyone, young or old, dude or dude-ette, can chase their wildest dreams and live happily ever after.

Happiness shouldn’t come with a rulebook! We deserve to chase what we want, not follow some outdated societal script to feel supported. We should all be able to pursue our dreams without fearing judgment or limitations.