A former lawyer stirred debate on TikTok after asserting that matrimony is a concept invented centuries ago and might not be relevant for couples living in the current era.
Cece Xie, a Harvard Law School graduate of 2016, became the talk of the town after she made a debatable statement in an on-going viral video on TikTok back in early June. (She had already established a successful legal career prior to making this claim)
During the video, the lawyer—who was coincidentally engaged to be married—stated: “My biggest takeaway from family law is that marriage is just made up.”
“Yes, there’s a long tradition of marriages throughout history,” Xie continued. “Mostly for economic purposes, political purposes, or religious purposes.”
“But putting that aside, in the modern era, why get married? Especially if you don’t have some religious attachment to the institution of marriage.”
Xie stated that politicians have been known to promote marriage as a viable option “because it’s a way for them to create private social welfare networks and make your family responsible for you rather than have the government be responsible for you.”
Xie, who is currently working as both a content creator and lecturer at Yale University, noted that her outlook on marriage may be perceived as “cynical”; however, she asserted there is also a positive aspect to it.
“If marriage is made up, that’s also the beauty of it,” she declared. “You and your partner. can make it whatever it means to you.”
Xie is engaged to her long-term partner, Nathaniel Counts, with the lawyer revealing that she and her fiancé have “talked through what we thought [getting married] meant.”
“We realized marriage didn’t mean the same thing to us as it did for some of our friends or our parents,” she enthused. “That was actually a really beautiful process.”
TikTok / @cecexie
Surprisingly, many viewers seemed to agree with Xie’s take on marriage being merely for convenience, citing legal reasons as the primary motivation.
“My husband and I got married merely for the formalities ( tax breaks, to make sure I get the money if he dies and vice versa without the red tape),” one wrote.
“It creates protections in the event you have a child with your partner,” another added.
Not the most romantic of articles, huh?
Do you agree? Please share your thoughts below.
@cecexie Replying to @stephaniegodoyart ♬ original sound – cece
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