Wedlock is about the objectification of women and girls in patriarchal religious environments, drawing on my personal experiences within a fundamental religion. As early as 11, girls, and only girls, were taught that virginity is the key to heaven. Our bodies and our virtue were compared to various objects, including locks, chewing gum, and flowers to name a few. We were given the explanation that our bodies were like locks, with one key that we are made for, and use of any other “keys” would damage us irreparably, a modern day chastity belt. The boys were taught no such lesson; They were the keys, that when capable of opening many locks is deemed master. Every image in this piece is an intentional use of symbolism: Velvet and the wooden hoop for the church pews where I, and many others first learned these expectations. The crossed golden keys represent St. Peter’s guarding of the pearly gates, demonstrative of both the importance of female virtue and of the weaponizing and misuse of Peter’s scriptural advice within the modern Church. The third key rounds out the triune nature of spiritual perfection that female virtue aims to emulate, particularly in reference to the concept of triple virginity. The tactile nature of my work, as well as the interactive capabilities implies an invitation to touch, while the expectations of art in a formal setting contradicts this impulse. The raspberries are symbolic of feminine well being, human perfection, and Christ’s 5 wounds illustrating the sacrifices women are expected to make in the name of religion.