Gretchen, Assunta, Dawn: Why so many ‘trophy wives’?

If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular? – Anonymous

There are three kinds of men who do not understand women: young, old, and middle-aged – Anonymous

There are a lot of delightful and outrageousness things about being a single guy at age 39. Some of my friends’ parents have complained that the reason I can’t decide on settling down is perhaps because I am purportedly "looking for a trophy wife." One of my relatives, at the recent funeral of my eldest half-brother Jesus C. Lee, advised me not to marry "a flower vase." But honestly, that’s farthest from the truth, because I’m looking for a girl who has more than just physical beauty; she should also have brains and a good heart like my late mother. Also, please take note that I’m not among the super rich or powerful guys who are sometimes prone to squiring around trophy wives or girlfriends.

This coming Tuesday, journalist and Philippine STAR reader Malou Mangahas of GMA-7 TV show Palaban is scheduled to interview me about "trophy wives," because I once wrote a column making fun of how not a few of our republic’s elite clans have heirs who seemingly lost their marbles by marrying intellectually, economically and socially down the ladder, favoring pretty girls, beauty queens or showbiz starlets. Why? Maybe because they need to have trophy wives or girlfriends exuding glamour, beauty, fame or status to complement their egos and exalted status. Others want to further their political careers by marrying glamorous celebrity wives.

Some powerful or rich men run away from women with high IQs, strong characters, high incomes or outstanding achievements, opting instead to marry those possessing simple charm and beauty. This is not male chauvinist bias, but this yearning among not a few powerful guys for trophy wives is perhaps a bit similar to those guys who dream of owning luxury vehicles like Porsches, Jaguars, Audis, limousines, yachts or even private jets (in ancient days, they wished to have the finest thoroughbred horses).

There are so many examples of rich and/or powerful guys who have trophy wives or girlfriends, such as the following:

• Philippine Bank of Commerce and ABC-5 television station boss Antonio "Tony Boy" Cojuangco, honors graduate of the Ateneo and Stanford, who is now living with actress Gretchen Barretto over the reported objections of his mother.

• Quezon City’s billionaire Cubao landlord Jorge Araneta, who married the first Miss International beauty queen, Stella Marquez Araneta of Colombia.

• Congressman and haciendero scion Jules Ledesma who married former sexy starlet Assunta de Rossi.

• Davao businessman Anton Lagdameo who married actress Dawn Zulueta.

• Businessman and politician Alfred Romualdez of the prominent political clan who married former sexy starlet Cristina "Kring Kring" Gonzalez.

• Former tourism secretary and Mondragon boss Jose Antonio Gonzalez who married former beauty queen Malou Apostol despite having been confronted by his boss, then President Cory C. Aquino.

• Businessman Fred J. Elizalde was 56 years old in 1997 when he married his former employee’s daughter, then 32-year-old top ballerina Lisa Macuja, after a one-month whirlwind courtship.

• The late businessman Virgilio Hilario who married the first Miss Universe winner, Armi Kuusela of Finland (whom the late realty taipan Tan You told me was also once assiduously courted by former Landoil boss and now Speaker Joe de Venecia, Jr.).

The phenomenon of trophy wives and girlfriends include such famous or infamous guys in world history as:

• Hollywood legend, world champion bodybuilder and now California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger who married former US President John F. Kennedy’s niece and award-winning TV journalist Maria Shriver.

• New York realty tycoon and now TV star Donald Trump who courted, married and divorced various trophy wives or girlfriends.

• The late Texas oil billionaire J. Howard Marshall who was 89 years old in 1994 when he married then 26-year-old Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith.

• The late President Ferdinand E. Marcos who was senator when he married the former "Rose of Tacloban," Imelda Romualdez, from a prominent Visayan political clan.

• The late Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, who once squired the famed singer Maria Callas but eventually won over and married the 20th century’s ultimate trophy wife, US President John F. Kennedy’s elegant widow Jacqueline "Jackie" Kennedy. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a happy marriage.

• Prince Charles, who married beautiful Diana Spencer, was a lousy husband who married his less-than-glamorous long-time mistress after Diana’s death.

• The late Monaco monarch Prince Rainier who married US actress Grace Kelly.

• The late Jordan King Hussein who in 1978 married American-born and Princeton-educated Arab beauty Queen Noor.

• The great Roman emperor and conqueror Julius Caesar also had his own brainy trophy wife in part-Greek Egyptian queen Cleopatra.

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I’m not judging those powerful men right or wrong for their fascinating choices of wives or girlfriends, but this phenomenon is a great equalizer in our semi-feudal, politically corrupt and often socially unjust Philippine society where a lot of poor but pretty girls can only escape poverty via beauty contests or showbiz or marriage to the local haciendero’s son or by becoming a paramour of the town mayor. I guess this is our own bizarre form of democracy. Have you noticed how some families of our republic’s traditional power elite clans, by marrying so many trophy wives, have physically become more good-looking through each generation – though lots of their heirs have considerably decreased IQs and ambitions? Is this karma, or is it God’s unique way of giving the rest of us ambitious upstarts and dreamers a chance to get a leg up?

Lest I be stoned to death the next time I stumble into a high society party or social event of the country’s elite, allow me to clarify that not all trophy wives or girlfriends are low-IQ bimbos or just "flower vases." Some examples of super trophy wives and girlfriends with brains, strong character and talents include:

• Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan who married well-read and brainy "megastar" Sharon Cuneta.

• Sen. Ralph Recto who married multi-awarded actress and now topnotch Lipa City Mayor Vilma Santos.

• Senator Mar Roxas who courted award-winning and popular TV broadcast journalist Korina Sanchez.

• Banana plantation billionaire and Davao Congressman Antonio "Tony Boy" Floirendo who married Maryknoll (now Miriam College) cum laude graduate and former Miss Universe beauty queen Margie Moran.

• Former Congressman and haciendero Jose "Peping" Cojuangco Jr. who married the beautiful Margarita "Tingting" Cojuangco, who is a historian and scholar.

• Realty businessman and former Batangas Governor Tony Leviste, who was once married to telegenic broadcaster and Sen. Loren Legarda.

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Thanks for all your messages. All letters will be answered. Comments, suggestions, jokes or criticisms are welcome at willsoonflourish@gmail.com or wilson_lee_flores@yahoo.com.