Famous trophy wives in history

Salma Hayek

Me!

Jane Fonda

Helen of Troy

What means "trophy wife"?

Beth Ostrosky Stern

"Salma Hayek."

I was gonna ask - famous for being a trophy wife and nothing else, or trophy wives that have independent fame.

Hayek gets the best of both worlds - she can be a trophy wife married to a really wealthy guy, but she has enough of her own money and independent fame to have a sense of independence - personally and publicly.

Wendi Deng

Jackie Onassis

Anna Nicole Smith

Chirlane McCray. Look! I've got a black wife!

Matt Bomer

Does being a member of the British Royal Family count?

Chasten.

R14 A participation trophy at best.

Kelly Klein, trophy beard

Lots of the Hollywood wives, even the ones with careers.

David Kelley: Michelle Pfeiffer.

Phil Hartman's wife, the one who killed him. Brynn Hartman.

Steven Spielberg's wife, Kate Capshaw.

Harvey Weinstein's ex-wife, Georgina Chapman.

Kelsey Grammer's previous wife, Camille Grammer.

Bruce Springsteen's previous wife, Julianne Phillips.

So many.

R15 Not in Pete’s eyes. To Pete, Chasten is his Heisman.

[quote] Lots of the Hollywood wives, even the ones with careers.

Michael Douglas: Diandra Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones

Pamela Harriman

Eva "Evita" Peron

You bitches are slipping.

Zelda Fitzgerald?

Peggy Shippen?

Marie Antoinette?

I'm trying to think of the criteria - a beautiful, feckless woman who brings no value to your social position other than the reflective glory of her looks or style and grace? That's a hard one to find in the past, because marriage was strategic and political...

Ethel Mertz and Mamie Eisenhower.

What was Brynn Hartman's story? She was always described as working as a model before she met Phil, but there doesn't seem to be any modelling shots on the internet.

Julia Phillips was married to Bruce Springsteen????

Suzie Amos. Though maybe not. "Trophy" usually denotes that the woman is beautiful and/or hot/sexy - at the very least "good looking" at some point (even if she eventually ages out of it). Was Suzie Amos ever moderately attractive?

Courtney Love

I'm thinking Courtney Love is a famous wife, but not a trophy wife.

David Furnish

Jerry Hall, who has now become the patron saint of gold diggers.

Amber Heard

Angelina Jolie

Diana Spencer

Jerry Hall is now an example for *older* gold diggers.

Mick Jagger outplayed Jerry Hall, though. Getting married in a foreign country, marriage later invalidated. Jerry should have insisted on a courthouse marriage in London, reception to follow.

Eleanor of Aquitaine

[Quote]Eleanor of Aquitaine was among the most powerful women of the 12th century. She controlled an extensive estate, became Queen of France and then England, and gave birth to one of England's most famed rulers, Richard the Lionheart.

R25 well she certainly wasn't a model wife

Ellen Barkin

R36 Eleanor wasn't a trophy wife

Name any Gabor sister.

As I'm sure you can imagine, I have my reasons for ignoring "famous [....] in history" threads.

I have no interest in threads crafted by small foreign factions for the sole purpose of inflating the elephantine egos of snippy little sasspots who refuse to acknowledge that without peroxide, tanning beds, and the iron will and steadfast determination of a loving, self-sacrificing mother, they would be nothing.

NOTHING!

However, in the event that I—Miss West Virginia, 1977—am brought up in this cesspool of a thread, I want to make it crystal clear at the outset that while I did indeed marry a fat cat, I entered the state of connubial bliss wearing my own crown and carrying my own scepter.

Don't try to grow a brain, Datalounge. And don't underestimate me.

Grace Kelly

[quote] I'm trying to think of the criteria

I consider it to be a wife acquired like an object, for her tangible properties, especially beauty, not chosen as a life partner for her intangible ones.

Royales aren't trophey wives since in the monarchy the marriages were political and thus diplomatic. Strategic alliances. Not trophey wife.

Babe Paley.

Barbara Sinatra

Mia Farrow

She was for Ron Perelman, r39.

Nan Kempner

Bambi's Mother.

Courtney Stodden

Portia de Rossi

Some of you don't know what the phrase means, apparently

Cindy Crawford

Debatable but I think Ali MacGraw was Steve McQueen's trophy wife.

[quote]Anna Nicole Smith

Good one, R10.

She used to be a trophy wife

Me

Trophy Mistress

Conseulo Vanderbilt

This is the 1989 Fortune magazine story that popularized the concept of the “trophy wife”: the glamorous second wife whose acquisition is meant to be the ultimate statement of a businessman’s success. Gayfryd Steinberg, the wife of now-disgraced financier Saul Steinberg, was a classic of this type: she towered over her fat, ugly husband and wore clothes and jewels fabulously well. Everyone was shocked when she stayed with him after he lost his money.

Linda "The Cunt" Kolkena

Louise Linton

Elaine Chao

Marilyn Monroe

Liz Taylor

Imelda Marcos

Nigella Lawson to Charles Saatchi. He's a rich exec and got busted, in public, grabbing her throat.

Anne Boleyn

Melania, of course.

Marla Maples, as well. She was the wife after Ivana but before Melania.

Jennifer Jones for David Selznick and Norton Simon

Grace Kelly

Elaine Joyce for Neil Simon

Heather Randall for Tony Randall

Any of Larry King's wives.

Ethel Mertz

Anna Nicole Smith.

Sonia McMahon

Lady Emma Hamilton, artist's model/exotic dancer who became the wife of the British ambassador to Naples and infamous mistress to Britain's greatest military hero, Lord Nelson;

Also her modern-day counterpart Carla Bruni

Vairst Letty

Antinous

[quote]Royales aren't trophey wives since in the monarchy the marriages were political and thus diplomatic. Strategic alliances. Not trophey wife.

R43 Not quite. Edward IV had a trophy wife, the unsuitable, widowed commoner - but exceptionally beautiful - Elizabeth Woodville.

In fact, Alexander the Great picked up a trophy wife on his way to conquer the world - the teenaged Roxanna. She was a minor Bactrian princess, not a suitable bride for an Emperor. She was known to be exceptionally beautiful.

Vicky from Dark Shadows who left at the height of the shows popularity to marry some billionaire.

Was Roxana a beard?

I always thought Ellen Barkin really lucked out snagging a billionaire, even or especially if it didn’t work out. I suppose she was a trophy wife for that sexy scene she did in Sea of love. Still, what was she doing just before old Ron came along? She sure was bitter despite all the money she got.

R81 Historians have puzzled over why Alexander married Roxana, and then took her to war with him - the most dangerous honeymoon in history. There seems to be no other reason than intense attraction and Roxie was described as one of the most beautiful woman that Alexander's men had seen.

A trophy wife brings youth and maybe beauty. Never necessarily wealth or talent or achievement. The only eclipse their prospective spouse in youth and beauty. Elizabeth Taylor was never a trophy wife- she did have at least one trophy husband. Jane Fonda was not a trophy because her achievements were more than a match for any husband.

I think Elizabeth was a trophy wife for John Warner.

And Jackie Kennedy was a trophy wife for Ari, even though she was a powerful person at the time. It’s a matter of perspective.

Wasn't Jackie the epitome of a trophy wife for JFK, as well?

I also think Jane Fonda was a trophy wife for Ted Turner.

Yes, I think so, R87. Selected for the trophy case by Joe Kennedy.

Helen of Troy

A man's first wife cannot be a trophy wife. She is merely the future ex-wife who will lose her place to the young, pretty trophy.

Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller

Shiksa trophy wife

Taylor got Warner elected to the Senate due to her fame- trophy wives do not eclipse their husbands. They are merely a trophy.

Talulah Riley (Elon Musk)

Lauren Sanchez (Bezos, if he actually marries her)

Grace Kelly was definitely a trophy wife.

Mrs. Patsy Ramsey, formerly of Boulder, CO.

The technical definition of a trophy wife is a second wife who is younger than the rich husband and also younger and more beautiful than his first wife, whom the rich husband divorced.

The following who qualify have not yet been named, I think:

Baby Doe Tabor

Babe Paley

Jayne Wrightsman

Cristina Ford

Nancy Kissinger

Susan Gutfreund

Marla Maples Trump

[R20], Pamela might have been a trophy wife, but she was heavily influential in regards to Clinton's first victory in his run for president. Also, name me another 'trophy wife' who became the United States ambassador to France. And whose body was flown back to the US on Air Force One.

Janet Jackson

R93 I disagree. I think they can fall into one of two categories: one, young and hot; two, famous and glamorous. John Warner having Liz Taylor on his arm is literally saying "look at my iconic movie star wife, who some have called the world's most beautiful woman." If that's not a trophy, I don't know what is.

Same with Ted Turner. "I'm a megarich media mogul, and now I've added Cat Ballou to my collection." Jane was still hot at the time, too.

I'm glad someone posted the Forbes article upthread, I'll enjoy revisiting that. All those 80s socialites were fun to follow back then. Really Gayfryd Steinberg is the one who pops into my mind when someone says "trophy wife." Here, tasteful friends, is a recent article about the sale of her NY home. I was surprised to learn she's now married to the Vanity Fair writer Michael Shnayerson. I remember seeing his byline quite a bit back in the day. La- dee-dah.

[quote]Also, name me another 'trophy wife' who became the United States ambassador

Georgette Mosbacher, Ambassador to Poland

Nancy Brinker, Ambassador to Hungary

Both women are featured in the Fortune article about trophy wives.

Remember Patricia Duffy? Trophy wife extraordinaire. She became Mike Medavoy's trophy wife (big Hollywood producer at the time) and then dumped him to become nasty Ron Perelman's trophy wife.

She was all over Clinton for a while, while she was fundraising for the democrats.

Winston Churchill's daughter in law, Pamela - she married a few super wealthy men after she ditched the loser Randolph Churchill.

Queen Noor of Jordan

Damn, should have said “now I’ve added Barbarella to my collection.”

Barbara Marx Sinatra

R100/R105 If the man wants to colorize movies, let him colorize movies. It's show business, for God's sake!

Johnny Carson’s wives.

Alec Baldwin’s wife.

Heidi Cruz

Kellyanne

can you daft cunts read the fuckin thread before posting!

WHY HAS NO ONE MENTIONED ME?! WHY HAS NO ONE ASKED ME HOW I AM?!

Do trophy gay mistresses count?

Mia Farrow for Frank Sinatra

La Senatrice was never my fathers gay mistress! Stop with the allusion r113.

Lady Kitty Spencer owns this thread.

R116 No skinny minny Kitty got a run of the mill rich old guy.

She doesn't hold a candle to Princess Charlene.

Well, this thread has plummeted.