Are Men Who Marry Plus-size Women Always Happy?

Oftentimes, plump women are unfairly judged by men on the basis of their size and appearance when evaluating prospective intimate partners.

Despite this unfortunate situation, there exists a growing belief that men who marry plus-size women tend to have a happier life as compared to those who marry women with lower body weights.

The running premise is that plus-size women tend to be more affectionate and open. As such, proponents of this pedestrian viewpoint rank them higher on the prospects of making a happy relationship.

As this point of view propagates, more men are being drawn into the idea of starting relationships with plus-size women, buoyed by the predicted happiness dividends.

Another generalisation of plus-size women is their so-called ability to shine with positivity and maintain infectious smiles.

Slimmer women, on the other hand, are believed to be reserved, unfriendly and less expressive with their emotions and therefore less likely to contribute to happy relationships.  This is according to the same school of thought that elevates plus-size women

It is indeed true that happiness in marriage can contribute to a longer and more productive life hence men's speculation with the perfect physical characteristic that denotes potential happiness.

Two married men with spouses from both divides spoke to The Standard giving an account of their marriages that interestingly match the stereotypes detailed above.

Griffin Omolo, who married a plus-size woman, noted that his house was full of joy and peace. He credited this to the wife who according to him is always in a good mood, understanding and open-minded.

Musyoka John who married a slim woman, on the other hand, stated that he was always faced with unfriendliness, with his wife always appearing ready for a fight.

These anecdotes, however, cannot be independently verified by Kenyans.co.ke and represent a sample too small to be considered to be of consequence. 

A 2009 study published by the International Journal of Sociology of the Family, though, does shed some light on the possibility of predicting marital happiness solely from a spouse's physical characteristics.

The study titled Body Weight and Relationship Quality among Women found that there was no significant association between body weight and relationship quality in a study that surveyed over 3,000 women. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of this article had erroneously quoted a study that has since been found to be nonexistent and has since been updated to eliminate the misleading section. 

  • .