Visual markers of marital status
Humans use clothing, hairstyle, accessories, jewelry, tatoos, and other bodily adornments as indicators of social status. One status that is usually of extreme interest is marital status. In many places and times, someone who is married is supposedly off-limits for flirtation, casual sex, or courtship. If married people merit special privileges, forms of address, or expressions of politeness, it is useful to know this immediately.
Because marital status markers are usually gender-specific, male and female status markers will be discussed separately.
Male marital status markers
These are typically less elaborate than female marital status markers, and in many cultures may be absent. One reading of this is that men may see these markers as limiting their sexual behavior and resist them.
Jewelry
In Western countries, some but not all married men wear a gold wedding ring on the left ring finger. Some men refuse to wear a ring; some men remove the wedding ring when they wish to pass for unmarried men. Circumspect women will scrutinize a man's ring finger to see if it shows signs of recent ring-wearing (tan lines, dents).
Beards
Among the Amish and Hutterite communities of Canada and the United States, only married men are entitled to wear beards. Unmarried men must shave.
Female marital status markers
Jewelry
Wedding rings.
Mangal-sutra.
Hairstyle
Hair up or down.
Zuni hair styles.
Cosmetics
Sindhoor.
Clothing
White for Hindu widows.
