A TikTok user, @nuvpreetkaur, shared a video explaining how going viral on TikTok helped her avoid becoming a child bride. She revealed that her parents had begun arranging her marriage when she was 16, but she later realized that wasn't what she wanted and had to move out of her parents' house. The video, posted on April 29, had received 4.5 million views as of publication.
The woman started the video by saying that her wedding preparations had begun when she was just 12 years old. Her parents had asked her to be the best she could be so that she would be chosen. She made hand motions mimicking the preparation of a chapati (Indian bread) and said, “I’m on it.”
She further added that she was 16 when her parents began talking to her future fiancé. The woman said that she had grown up with him and was therefore comfortable with the idea of marrying him. She told her parents that if it was cool with them, then it was cool with her. The TikTok creator said she had been raised to view the arrangement as normal until she gained access to the internet.
After she made a video on TikTok and it went viral, many commenters told her that she was only 17 and was still a child who shouldn't be getting married. This made her realize that they were not wrong, and this angered her parents. When she decided to talk to her fiancé about her feelings, he also advised her to do what would make her parents happy. This made her think that she wasn't ready to get married and that something didn't feel right.
One day, she finally gathered the courage to tell her parents that she did not want to attend a community college with the guy but instead wanted to move two hours away to attend a large university. She then revealed that she received several scholarships, which helped her get admission to a good university. After graduating from college, she decided to move back in with her parents. However, within a month, she realized it had been a bad decision.
The woman concluded by saying that she grew up with different values and her parents grew up with different values, meaning they could never reach the same conclusion. One commenter wrote, “This is why access to information is critical.” Another wrote, “The internet is bad, yes, but it has also opened our eyes.” A third user wrote, “As an Iranian girl whose parents were planning my ENTIRE life and planning my marriage....I am SO PROUD OF YOU!!! And you aren't alone!!”
The Daily Dot could not independently verify the events described in the video. The details above reflect @nuvpreetkaur’s account as shared on TikTok. The identities of the commenters have not been confirmed.
