Line #7 PlayingWith/TrophyWife


1	'''Basic Trope''': A (usually second or third) wife, who is a status symbol for her wealthy husband.
2	* '''Straight''': Bob ''was'' married to Alice, but then when his career took off, he had an affair with [[TheMistress another woman, Claire]], and eventually left Alice for her. Claire is younger and prettier than Alice and [[MayDecemberRomance probably much younger than Bob]].
3	* '''Exaggerated''':
4	** Bob becomes a SerialSpouse after his career takes off.
5	** Claire is just one of many wives and concubines in the [[MarryThemAll harem]] of KingBobTheNth.
6	* '''Downplayed''':
7	** Claire isn't that much younger than Bob nor a real beauty model, but Bob still married her as a status symbol.
8	** Claire is young and beautiful compared to Bob, but Bob married her because he loves her and not as a status symbol.
9	* '''Justified''':
10	** Bob's marriage to Alice was [[AwfulWeddedLife unhappy]]; cheating with Claire was only a symptom (not a cause) of their fighting and eventual divorce. His relationship with Claire brings him happiness, but he isn't marrying her solely for her beauty.
11	** Bob lives [[ValuesDissonance in a time and place]] where {{poly\|amory}}gyny is a way of displaying wealth, as well as ensuring a continuation of Bob's family line; [[GottaCatchEmAll the more wives and concubines he can acquire (and provide for), the better]].
12	* '''Inverted''': Bob ''was'' married to a beautiful young woman named Claire, but falls in love with (and leaves Claire for) [[GirlNextDoor his friend Alice]]. Alice is older and perhaps somewhat [[HollywoodHomely less physically attractive than Claire]].
13	* '''Gender Inverted''': Alice ''was'' married to Bob, but when her career took off, she had an affair with Charles, and eventually left Bob for him. Charles is younger and more handsome than Bob, and [[LikesOlderWomen probably much younger than Alice]].
14	* '''Subverted''':
15	** Although [[NouveauRiche wealthy and successful]], Bob is still HappilyMarried and faithful to Alice.
16	** Claire is HollywoodHomely.
17	** Bob divorced Alice for Claire only because [[ShotgunWedding Claire got pregnant]] and Bob wanted to avoid a scandal.
18	** Claire is Bob's girlfriend, not his wife.
19	* '''Double Subverted''':
20	** But then his success goes to his head, and Bob gets himself a girlfriend while still married to Alice.
21	** Alice is young and pretty, and can spend at least some of Bob's earnings to keep herself looking that way.
22	** But she has a much nicer personality than Alice, as well as other charms that endear her to Bob.
23	** But they eventually do get married.
24	* '''Parodied''':
25	** No sooner are AliceAndBob pronounced husband and wife than he goes looking for younger, sexier women.
26	** Claire is a [[VisualPun literal trophy]] given to Bob when he wins a competition, [[{{Lilliputians}} at the height of such a figure no less]].
27	* '''Zig-Zagged''': Bob marries Alice, then they fall out and he meets and falls in love with Claire. Bob marries Claire only to realize Alice was his soul mate all along. But when they rekindle their relationship, Bob finds he doesn't like how Alice has changed … so he goes back to Claire and finds he doesn't like how ''she'' has changed, either …
28	* '''Averted''':
29	** Bob is HappilyMarried to his first wife, Alice.
30	** [[CelibateHero Bob isn't married.]]
31	* '''Enforced''': RuleOfDrama.
32	* '''Lampshaded''': Bob brags about how his social standing has improved since he left Alice for Claire.
33	* '''Invoked''': Bob has been fighting a lot with Alice, because she's unhappy that he's at the office all the time. He meets Claire, one thing leads to another, and he ends up in an ongoing relationship with her.
34	* '''Exploited''':
35	** Claire convinces Bob to leave Alice for her, as she's not content with "second place."
36	** Claire is a GoldDigger, looking to get a free ride.
37	* '''Defied''': Bob, feeling that this is wrong, breaks up with Claire and starts to put in more work on his relationship with Alice.
38	* '''Discussed''': "Bob left a great woman like Alice for ''that'' BrainlessBeauty?!"
39	* '''Conversed''': "And what happens when Claire gets too old?"
40	* '''Implied''': Bob is middle-aged and wealthy, showing [[UglyGuyHotWife no physical attractiveness comparable to that of the young Claire]].
41	* '''Deconstructed''': Bob let his success go to his head, which is why he ended up being unfaithful to (and eventually divorced by) Alice. He may have been [[AwfulWeddedLife unhappy]] when he was with her, and that led to fighting...and his negative feelings made him vulnerable to Claire's charms. Also, Claire may be young and beautiful now, but [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome what will happen when]] ''[[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome she]]'' [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome inevitably becomes older, pudgier, and wrinklier]]? And it's possible Claire [[GoldDigger only married Bob for his money]]...and what if she's a BlackWidow?
42	* '''Reconstructed''':
43	** Bob decides that Alice has been there for him through a lot while he was getting his career together, so he focuses on building a stronger relationship with her, and breaking off his illicit relationship with Claire (or turning her down in the first place).
44	** Bob divorces Alice, after realizing that his marriage to her is broken beyond all repair, and focuses on building a strong relationship with Claire. [[NotWithThemForTheMoney He makes sure that Claire loves him for who he is, not what he has.]]
45	* '''Played for Laughs''': Claire is an absolute {{Gonk}} with [[JerkAss a repugnant and utterly caustic personality]], yet Bob and everyone else reacts to her as if she was the most desirable woman on earth.
46	* '''Played for Drama''': TheMissusAndTheEx.
47	----
48	Back to TrophyWife.
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50	%%Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion:

Context PlayingWith / TrophyWife