Arranged Marriage and MarryOurDaughter.Com: Find the 13-year-old Girl of Your Dreams
Is MarryOurDaughter.Com Legal or a Hoax?
The home page for MarryOurDaughter.com is filled with personal ads for young girls, written by their parents, who are looking for a husband for arranged marriage. The parents choose a 'Bride Price' for their daughters, which is listed in the ad. The photos are completely blurred out, which may be done to avoid legal issues.
The first arranged marriage ad on the page is for Kristin J., age 16, from the south, whose bride price is $49,995. Her parents write, "Kristin has a wild streak. She likes parties and has spent more time with boys than we'd have liked her to. We had a family talk and decided that it was time she settled down with a man who could meet her needs and help her fulfill her dreams of being an actor or singer. She's a bit fiery but worth it."
Listing Your Daughter for Arranged Marriage on MarryOurDaughter.com
Currently there are 23 child-brides available for arranged marriage on MarryOurDaughter.com. The cost for parents to list their daughters is 5% of the Bride Price they are requesting. When listing their daughters, tips for a good arranged marriage profile include asking the girl about her ambitions, dreams, and what she expects in a husband. The list of 'don'ts' is longer: Don't include specific contact information. Don't include a photo. Don't list your daughter's full name. Don't be sexually explicit in your description.
Advice for Proposals for Arranged Marriages on MarryOurDaughter.com
The only advice MarryOurDaughter.com gives to those men proposing for an arranged marriage is to avoid proposing to multiple girls at a time.
Arranged Marriage Testimonials from MarryOurDaughter.com
The arranged marriage testimonials include testaments from both parents and brides. Mr. Jack M. wrote, "At first we were worried that Janine was too young to get married, but then her new husband bought her a house and a car and jewelry and the money we got let us buy a house for ourselves. Getting out of the trailer park at our age was the best thing that ever happened to us, and it's all thanks to Marry Our Daughter!"
Nancy A., who was married at age 15, wrote, "My mother thought I was getting 'too frisky' and that I had to get married right away before I lost my purity to some high school boy. Marry Our Daughter found me a husband and my parents were able to keep their house and pay off my mother's medical bills. I was so glad I could help them, and being married at my age (I'm 16 now) has a lot of advantages, like my own credit card!"
Is MarryOurDaughter.com a Spoof Site for Arranged Marriages or is it Legal?
There is a question under the FAQ section of MarryOurDaughter.com which asks if their service is legal. The answer quotes laws which state a girl as young as 13 can be married with parental consent in some states, and arranged marriage and the Bride Price are mentioned several times in the Bible, which makes them protected religious practices.
However, a quick search on snopes.com shows the site is indeed fake. According to Snopes, the creator of MarryOurDaughter.com, John Ordover, created the site as a parody to poke at the inconsistencies in state marriage laws.
Since there are no photos of underage girls, and there is no fee for men to propose for an arranged marriage, I don't believe MarryOurDaughter.com is doing anything illegal. I'm not a lawyer, however, and I could be wrong. Legal or not, MarryOurDaughter.com is at least disturbing and at most, dangerous.
Published by Heather K. Adams
Heather K. Adams is an award-winning journalist with the North Dakota Newspaper Association. While she can write on many topics, she specializes in personalized national and state news reports, music, and pa... View profile
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- MarryOurDaughter.com has profiles for girls as young as 13 who are interested in arranged marriage.
- Parents write the profiles for their daughters seeking arranged marriages.
- MarryOurDaughter.com provides a link to check your state's laws on age of marriage.
18 Comments
Post a CommentIf I move to Utah can I have two or three?
Great article. I find the site to be disturbing, but I'm glad that it's there. Teenage girls are sexualized and "sold" to older men by their parents with some degree of frequency, even in our own culture. I've known many women who were encouraged to "date" grown men when they were as young as twelve years old: it is a relatively common form of sexual abuse. The point of the site isn't to glamourize or encourage this, it's supposed to make us think twice: the thought "Wow, how creepy and wrong!" is followed by "This shouldn't happen!". It exaggerates the reality of these situations in order to draw attention to the fact that the pornification of teenage girls needs to end.
The website is there, but the content is a spoof.
Sad but true: This is not a spoof. The web site is right there...
Yes, in many cultures arranged marriages are common. In many cultures, slavery is accepted too. This does not make it any more decent. Sure, many people who choose each other end up in divorces. But then again, they are only paying for their own poor choices - not for someone else's. And given that lots of religious communities consider divorse a gravely sin, this may be the reason why many arranged marriages don't end up in divorse - and not the unproven suggestion that arranged marriages are more stable... You get married to the wrong man or woman, and you're out of luck: Because someone thinks that God believes that you need to stick with that person until death do you part.... It sure does not mean that you will be happy that way though.
Anyways, didn't one of basic human right in the UN human right charter say that "Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses"? W
Real or not, it's a scary thought! Imagine how many pedophiles have checked out that site to get their hands on an underage girl legally. How freaky is that?
I agree; it's disturbing.
...Many cultures also have genital mutilation. I'm just sayin'...
Arranged marriages are common in many cultures, and considering how many marriages where partners choose each other and end up in divorce court or unhappy marriages, it may not be a bad idea. But I'm glad this site is a spoof; it sounds more like BuyMyDaughter to me.
Important to be aware of and disgusting to read and contemplate.
Wow.....didn't know it existed!