This describes a bride on the day she leaves her parent’s home to go to her groom’s house. Often, her parents choose the groom, not her. Her own preferences don’t matter, and she has to hide her feelings or admiration for another man if she likes. Especially in rural areas of Pakistan, if she expresses her choice, she risks being beaten by her brother, father, or even her mother. This issue is taboo in Pakistan, but it isn’t a priority for the state. This matter of neglect by the state has already led to many honor killings. The “Puppet in Red & Gold” represents a bride on her wedding day, forced to move to another home based on a choice that isn’t hers, making a puppet under the pressure of social norms.

In a broader perspective many sociologists have long argued about whether or not we are controlled by the structure of the society in which we live; in other words, are we or are we not ‘puppets of society’? Social structure theorists such as Functionalists and conflict theorists like Marxists believe that we are ‘puppets’ and that our behavior is controlled by the structure of the society in which we live.

Text borrowed from “Structural Functionalism” by (Lee Hooper)