DUMPY MEN WITH BEAUTIFUL SKINNY WIVES

Gentle Readers,

I watched the dvd of Couples Retreat recently and felt perturbed by a prominent aspect of the movie.

Granted, it had some amusing moments, especially the tantric yoga scenes.

But how come these four men, two of whom are decidedly unattractive and one of whom is downright obese, are with such extremely beautiful and almost too slender women? Yes, all four women were very, very good looking.

Maybe they married these men for their wit, charm, and good humor, but studies have demonstrated that people who are considered really good looking usually marry other really good looking people and people who are not so great looking usually marry other not so great looking people.

I don't get it. It's o.k. for the men to have beer bellies, have the face of a bulldog (don't fret bulldog owners - bulldogs are beautiful, but their faces are not right for men), or look like neanderthals whose knuckles should be dragging on the ground, be workaholics, ignore the little lady's interests, and she's not going to dump him and go off with a good looking guy who worships her and gives her everything she wants?

That's Hollywood for you. The men don't have to look great, but there's a different standard for women.

During Seinfeld's heyday, I knew some college girls who referred to what they had labeled "George Syndrome"; specifically, George Costanza who was pretty chubby, rude, and balding, went out with good-looking women all the time. Do you remember George ever having an ugly date? And what did George have to offer? A bad temper and a spotty employment history. He didn't even have his own apartment all the time. He had to move back in with his parents for a while.

George Syndrome: It's for the birds, and I'll flip you one movie and television industry.

Not so lovingly,

Lola