The downside of having a hot husband
People are motivated to lose weight for a number of good reasons – their health, their self-esteem – but in today’s body-conscious culture, there can be just as many not-so-good reasons.
Among the latter: a recent study of young newlyweds indicates that for some women, the attractiveness of their spouse can be a strong motivation to diet.
Researchers at Florida State University found that women who were considered less attractive than their husbands were more motivated to diet for a slimmer figure than women who were more attractive than their spouses. Men in the study showed little motivation to diet, regardless of their wife’s attractiveness.
Many of the responses from the study’s less-attractive wives indicated they dieted out of a fear that their body would fall short of their husband’s expectations.
“The research suggests there might be social factors playing a role in women’s disordered eating,” said Tania Reynolds, the study’s lead researcher, in a press release. “It may be helpful to identify women at risk of developing more extreme weight-loss behaviors, which have been linked to other forms of psychological distress, such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse and dissatisfaction with life.”
Reynolds added that other research has indicated women tend to be unrealistic about how thin their partners want them to be and may, as a result, pursue an inappropriate path to weight loss.
“One way to help these women is for partners to be very reaffirming, reminding them, ‘You’re beautiful. I love you at any weight or body type,’” Reynolds said.
Dr. Judy Ronan Woodburn, an Advocate Medical Group licensed clinical psychologist in Bloomington, Ill., finds the differences between the sexes to be particularly telling.
“The results of this study make me wonder about factors related to attractiveness, including sociocultural messages about power,” she says. “Since, in general, in the American sociocultural climate, men are automatically perceived as having more power than women, it makes some sense to me that men’s motivation to diet and become more attractive is low regardless of their wives’ attractiveness. Women, on the other hand, generally are given less power, so there might be a stronger need to gain power by being attractive.”
Dr. Woodburn adds that perhaps for women who are considered more attractive than their male partners, their attractiveness lessens the need to obtain power by becoming even more attractive.
For the study’s researchers, the results provide insight into why eating disorders develop.
“If we understand how women’s relationships affect their decision to diet and the social predictors for developing unhealthy eating behaviors, then we will be better able to help them,” Reynolds says.
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health enews staff is a group of experienced writers from our Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care sites, which also includes freelance or intern writers.
THIS IS A RIDICULOUS ARTICLE -!!! Why would anyone in Advocate think this is worth reading . What are we like the tabloids with the sensational headlines. “HOT HUSBANDS” Please give us articles with some substance and educational value!
I agree. This article is not worth anyone’s time.
This makes me sad. I have been married to my wonderful wife for 45 years. She has been, and always will be, the most special person in the world for me. I find her more attractive now than when she was a bride. I have read that most people gain a pound for every year they have been married. I don’t know if that is the case for her, but my motivation has been to remain “newly married” for as long as possible. Her warmth, wisdom, and approach to life is an inspiration. Anything else just isn’t that important. I am truly blessed.
“One way to help these women is for partners to be very reaffirming, reminding them, ‘You’re beautiful. I love you at any weight or body type,’”, that will never work, it’s a lie. So you want us to lie?
I guess katherine and frances may have hot husbands… LOL
And thanks to Tom’s honest comment, showing how shallow and superficial guys are, it proves the article is accurate.
This is true –
I am a hot husband.
Thee end.
Hilarious. What if you husband is a butter-face? Great bod, but so-so face?!
MURPHY’S LAW: “Beauty Is Only Skin Deep…”
GOD’S LAW: “….Look Not On His Countenance (Appearance), Or The Height of His Stature; For The LORD (JEHOVAH) Seeth Not As A Man Seeth, For Man Looketh OnThe Outward Appearance, But The LORD Looketh On The Heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7; The BIBLE)
Murphy’s Law is not at all what you quoted. It’s quite different. FYI.
Mr. Alvin:
Perhaps you missed my point. When a handsome man marries a woman that is possibly less attractive, she may have superior qualities not found in other pretty women. An intelligent and modest woman will appreciate that fact. Physical appearance does not count for everything. A good husband lets his wife know that.
The inverse of this article would be, “The Upside to Having an Ugly Wife.”
Other options: “What To Do If Your Wife is Hitting Out of Her League.”
I can’t wait! Everyone, don’t be so jelly of us DILFs.
Since my previous comment didn’t get posted (thank you so much for your vigilante moderating), I guess I’ll attempt to repost:
This article is written with “click-bait” worthy titling. Are we not beyond writing something without having to give it a vague misleading title? The contents of this article essentially just read “upside-hot husband, downside-crazy depressed wife”. And I commend Tom for his calling out that the article is promoting lying to your spouse and say “I love you at any weight or body type”. You cannot know something that you have no experience in. If my partner suddenly ballooned up to look like Ben Stiller at the end of the Dodgeball movie, it could potentially be a deal-breaker. I would rather at least be honest and say I don’t know if I would love someone if that happened versus giving them false hope and untrue promises. It has nothing to do with being superficial. If you really love someone, then you should love them too much to lie to their face.
You are correct. Murphy’s Law is more extensive. I only quoted a part of one segment. The full quote of this segment is: “Beauty is only skin deep, UGLY GOES TO THE BONE.”
(The second portion did not seem to be appropriate for this conversation, a1nd was purposely deleted.)
Not quite. Murphy’s law has nothing to do with beauty or aesthetics. It states (paraphrased) that “what can go wrong, will go wrong.” It’s a fallacy. Fun fact!
Gee, I thought this article referenced male menopause. What a disappointment.
Reply to Miley P
Good for you! You found another segment, except, the actual quote is “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” Keep up your research!
Right. Mine was paraphrased. Thus my use of the word ‘paraphrased.’
My point was simply that Murphy’s Law mentions nothing about beauty. That’s all.
You seem a bit confrontational. Are you maybe upset because you have a hot husband? Hope you feel better!