It’s not an isolated case. From the humble to the most famous stars, Chinese bridesmaids are also susceptible to physical and verbal harassment as well as sexual and physical abuse. The video became viral through the Chinese internet, showing groomsmen attempting to throw Liu Yan, an infamous Chinese actress, into a pool while the actress was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her friend.
In modern China, a typical wedding ceremony involves a gathering of family members, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, and family members, a grand motorcade, and a lavish banquet that will be followed by household tricks that are filled with sexual and sexually explicit innuendos. Bridesmaids are a crucial part of the wedding throughout the entire wedding procedure, from welcoming visitors at the wedding location and photographing the wedding dress, making wine for the bride, and securing the Boudoir.
A new tradition
The traditions of the bridesmaids have a long-standing history in China. The feudal period was hundreds of years back when female birth was considered to be an important resource for the delivery of an heir to the family; weddings could be prone to be kidnapped during weddings by clans that were rivals as well as hooligans. As the guardians of the bride’s family, bridesmaids dressed as bridesmaids to reduce the chance that she would be spotted and taken away. When the legal protections for marriages were put in place in the late 1800s, this was no longer required, and the role of the bridesmaids took on an increasingly symbolic part.
Weddings are now a social occasion where Chinese newlyweds are given acknowledgment and blessings from their friends and their families. However, just like the parade of a grand and opulent ceremony or motorcade, the bridesmaid is frequently criticized as an element of the wedding ceremony. Physical beauty, as well as the number of bridesmaids, is often viewed as an indication of power and the “face” of the families who are part of the wedding.
Maid of ‘dishonour’
However, the protective function that bridesmaids perform has not changed. They are required to keep away requests for alcohol and, in many instances, consume Chinese wines on behalf of their bride. It is a custom that newlyweds are required to toast their at the bottom of every wedding guest on a personal basis. This means that bridesmaids often end up drinking with their bridesmaids and overindulging in alcohol. While fulfilling their duty, Some of them have alcohol poisoning issues or even end up dying.
In addition, as bridesmaids serve as the final symbol “hurdle” before the groom is allowed to enter the wedding room, oarsmen and groomsmen may pull off acts that are laced with sexual innuendo. In more formal situations, the stunts can be accompanied by the gifting of gifts like nuts ( hua sheng), which share the same pronunciation as “giving birth” ( sheng) in Chinese. This could also mean the licking of the banana during public appearances.
In a lot of cases, however, the actions are more than just symbolic. Although sexual relations are still a taboo subject in the public realm for a majority of Chinese people, weddings are seen as a legitimate manifestation of sexual desire for certain men that can lead to sexual violence and harassment in certain cases. This is further aggravated by the high consumption of alcohol among the groomsmen and bridesmaids.
In many instances, bridesmaids do not want to be involved in sexually sexy stunts specifically designed for newlyweds. In extreme cases, some are stripped of their clothes, beaten, or even beaten.
However, there are substantial regional differences in the manner in which bridesmaids and their families are treated. The majority of reports of alcohol poisoning, sexual harassment, and the abuse of bridesmaids are concentrated in the countryside and provinces like Shandong as well as Hainan, in which traditional gender norms are in place. In urban areas and regions like Sichuan and Shanghai, in which gender norms that are more liberal are accepted, a variety of stunts are played with the groomsmen, not bridesmaids.
If bridesmaids are mistreated and they are reported to the police, they can be subject to severe legal action within China. However, women with more traditional backgrounds and in certain areas of China are more likely than other women to share their traumatizing experiences because of the varying levels of women’s empowerment throughout the nation.
In fear of their reputation and the possibility of marrying one who places heavy importance on female “purity” and virginity, the victims might prefer to stay silent. This can make it difficult to determine how common instances of sexual assaults at weddings are.
