Being a trophy wife means signing up to a life of emotional neglect. The kind of man who wants a trophy wife is, by definition, busy making money, and only interested in what he needs to keep him fit for making more. Not only is he never around, when he is, the understanding is that he has paid not to have to listen to any of the boring details of her life (though she may cutely try on clothes for his approval).
Trophy wife exists to soothe him after a stressful working day, to keep him in sleek condition and to showcase his wealth and good taste. If the boiler exploded earlier on, rich husband doesn’t want to hear about it. If trophy wife’s mother is seriously ill, rich husband doesn’t want to be bothered. The deal is that she is supportive, compliant, endlessly cheerful and pleasing to look at, and makes no demands on rich husband whatsoever, other than via his chequebook. Gastric flu in the night? Move to another floor, girl, sharpish, and make sure you shake it off before it starts to affect his life. Depression? Double the Prozac dose, and on no account let the smile slip.
On top of the emotional neglect is the perpetual insecurity. Every trophy wife knows that the downside of unlimited credit is the circling wannabe trophy wives of more tender years. The bottom line is that there are a lot of fiftysomethings in the trophy-wives graveyard (see Ivana Trump), who had to conduct their marriages with the knowledge that they could be replaced at any moment. Imagine the frantic grooming and nipping and tucking required of a trophy wife who is just past her prime. Think of the effort required at parties. (The trophy wife’s value is largely measured in the amount of envious glances she attracts from the opposite sex.)
If you consider for a moment the day-to-day horror of being the perfect, shiny-shinned, “no problem, baby” possession of a man who expects that as the minimum return for his investment, you begin to feel a little more sympathy for this cash-guzzling breed. Please, these women deserve all the shopping money they can get.