Using a modified version of the multi-level analysis framework, this project explores marriage as an inherently oppressive system that has evolved over time to stay socially relevant. This analysis shows that as women gain power and autonomy, the motivation to marry evolves from political to economic to social. While weddings used to be a byproduct of marriage, today they are one of the main drivers. The wedding industrial complex is the most recent incarnation of economic and social forces that demand the investment of women's time, energy, and capital into a system that ultimately doesn't serve them.

“I started this project intending to map the wedding industrial complex, which quickly morphed into mapping the way marriage has subjugated and oppressed women over time. Although marriage and weddings are obviously connected, the mapping exercise revealed the way weddings have evolved to be a primary driver of marriage after other systems or enticements failed. The “perfect wedding” is just the latest iteration of tools used to keep marriage operating as an oppressive system.”

— McKinley Sherrod