MSN Article: "The Starter (Disposable, Temporary) Husband"

I realize that the MSM is always looking for news of the strange and changed, rather than than the normal and time-tested, but I also can't help but think this article would have a slightly more judgmental tone were it men discussing wives in such a way.

The Starter Husband

"You'd never buy a car without test-driving it first right? So why settle into a lifelong marriage before trying one on for size?"

Andi takes a throaty slug of her second raspberry martini, picks at her fish taco, then sits back in her chair. "I think marriage is the new dating and having kids is the new marriage," she proclaims loudly, as yet another woman dining with her partner turns to stare. "It's true. I wouldn't have married him if I didn't think I could get out of it...."

...

For some, a starter husband is like a starter home — a semi-commitment where you're willing to do some of the surface work, like painting the walls, but not the heavy lifting, like gutting the whole foundation; he's just not a long-term investment. Others compare a starter husband to a first job, where you learn some skills and polish your resume before going after the position you really want....

It's easy to write these women off as callous or self-absorbed. And yet on some level, they just might be pioneers: Why stay put in an empty shell of a marriage — an arrangement on paper only — instead of calling it what it is? "This generation is reinventing marriage," says Paul.

Some women are in love with the philosophical/political idea of treating men contemptuously, and then seem to scratch their heads in wonderment when they detect that feeling might be mutual.

Remember seventh grade and "I like him but only if he likes me back"?

Yeah. Look into it, "pioneers."

posted by Ace at 03:36 PM

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