Finally sitting down today. I literally have not sat down since I woke up. Between dog walks and laundry and cleaning and getting the house ready for the painters and cooking…But I got a lot done! Anyway, watching an old episode of Private Practice from December that was on the DVR. Without going into the whole episode of emo-chick television, storyline has a 60yr old woman married to a 30yr old man and having issues with a pregnancy (woman is 60 – duh).
Anyway…as soon as they showed the wife I had the reaction I was supposed to have. Disbelief. Some shock. It’s obvious that is what the show was going for. And the commercial break after the first introduction to the 60yr old wife gave us a long Victoria’s Secret Angel lingerie ad. Really? Did you plan that ABC?
The fact that they expect us to believe that this nice looking 30yr old man would be happily married to a 60yr old woman is ridiculous. The reason for this is simple. Men are superficial. Period. Even the “nice” ones are. It’s why your Dad hates all of your boyfriends. He knows what they are thinking. Even if they are the nice guy, student body council President, the “golly gee Mr. so-so” kind of guy (my dad hated those the guys the most!)
And you can say oh women are gold diggers so that is the only reason they end up with old guys. Well…I agree and yet disagree with this. Women typically search out security. Men who offer security. Now this can be in the form of physical strength/security, emotional security, financial security, etc. Are there gold-digging whores who search out men who will pay their bills? Absolutely. I’ve known some. Hate them the most.
But men…they search out hotness. Period. If a woman gains 10 pounds – men are disgusted. At the very least, they are bothered but just don’t say anything. This makes them “nice”. But they are never simply NOT bothered.
Guys say oh “Twilight” is stupid. Women just want a guy who is obsessed with them and unrealistic. Blah blah blah. No…women want a guy who thinks they are perfect and beautiful and wonderful. No matter what. THIS is the fantasy part. No man ever will.
So television and movies and books, etc. are there as fantasy. As fun. As an interlude. Why channels like Lifetime and Oxygen and Harlequin romance novels sell. And why Twilight sold so well to the non-tween crowd. And why girls are so susceptible to the rom-com. That fantasy of being perfect in the eyes of someone. Period.
7:35 am on January 13th, 2010
Sad commentary and only because it is really true. I think a survey was done to see if people were more likely to assist someone who was ridiculously good-looking or just average. The theory of course proved true that people were overwhelmingly keen on helping the good-looking one.
I think a lot of the problem is that we tend to get too comfortable and take each other for granted. Once that happens, the fire/passion/romance/heart just kind of fades or worst case dies.
While it cannot be argued that a 21 year old body is ideal for many men, there is nothing that can compare to the mind of an older woman. Are there people that are that shallow with the 10 pound weight gain or hate your new hairstyle or that you got a zit? Absolutely. There are plenty of women that feel the same about us too. Oh sorry, not enough zeros in your bank account or no six-pack abs or not packing enough heat – whatever.
We live in a shallow society so you are right ot be cynical about it. I try to keep chivalry alive, but to be sure, it is difficult and certainly is something that is rare to see.
12:09 am on January 14th, 2010
I am very cynical. But I have seen and heard enough real life superficialness (is that a word??) to know I am not too cynical. But I for one would like you to keep being chivalrous so I know it’s not all dead :)