Can We Please Stop With The "Controlling Wife, Miserable Husband" Trend?
Is it all in good fun or is it a very real reflection of the toxic marriage dynamic our culture has begun to normalize?
A recent trend on TikTok involves couples acting out exaggerated scenarios where the wife is portrayed as domineering and controlling, dictating every aspect of their shared life, from daily activities to settling arguments. Each video begins with the wife confidently stating, "I'm the wife," before launching into a monologue detailing her unilateral decision-making power. Some are calling these viral videos "funny" or "an exaggeration" while others are commenting that this toxic dynamic is very real within many marriages.
In one video with over 225,000 likes, "the wife" boasts about determining the couple's plans, when they go to bed, and even claims victory in every argument without ever having to apologize. When the video pivots to the husband, he meekly starts with, "I'm the husband," only to be promptly silenced by his wife, emphasizing the dysfunctional power dynamic. The pathetic portrayal has sparked a wave of reactions in the comments section with hundreds of users chiming in.
"I'm the husband. I'm divorced now," wrote one commenter, which earned thousands of likes. "I'm the wife. I'm still married because I don't act this way," wrote another.
Other popular comments included "I wish this was funny...but it's true, so it's not," and "They did this for fun, but this is so many men's lives, and they absolutely hate it. Used to be mine..."
This cringe-worthy trend raises some serious questions about modern relationship dynamics, as well as concerns about the lengths people will go to go viral. Obviously, the skits are meant to be a funny exaggeration, but the fact that some couples are willing to present themselves in such a negative way suggests an unhealthy need for attention.
Alternatively, the fact that so many people in the comments find these extreme depictions to actually be realistic suggests that many marriages are suffering from female narcissism. Or, the issue could be the growing effeminacy of modern men. Most likely, the toxic dynamic is a combination of the two.
While these videos are caricatures, perhaps they point to a real, pervasive problem, which is the continual erosion of the complementary strengths of men and women. A return to healthy boundaries and mutual respect for one another within marriage is a trend we'd love to see instead.
Evie deserves to be heard. Support our cause and help women reclaim their femininity by subscribing today.