Attention in the Arnold Schwarzenegger love child scandal has predictably swung toward the mistress, identified by gossip sites as Mildred Patricia Baena, and, just as predictably, the public reaction has been: "Arnold cheated with her?"
Social media were ripe with the consensus Wednesday that Baena, 50, overweight and grandmotherly in appearance, was less attractive than The Governator's own wife, Maria Shriver.
One Facebook wag quipped that Wednesday's photos of Baena, a housekeeper in the Schwarzenegger household, prove that steroid abuse can affect one's eyesight.
Why would disapproval of Schwarzenegger's choice in mistresses outweigh disapproval of his conduct?
"Because Americans are shallow?" suggested Sylvia Cross. Cross, whose Decatur art gallery is hosting a feminist look at the Book of Revelation, said the focus on Baena's appearance misses the point.
"To me the biggest issue is lying about it, raising a child in his household that he pretends wasn't his child."
Schwarzenegger and Shriver, married for 25 years, announced their separation earlier this month. On Tuesday Schwarzenegger admitted that he had an illegitimate son with a member of the household staff.
Shriver appeared on one of talk host Oprah Winfrey's last shows Tuesday, to obliquely comment on her husband's behavior and to seek support. Tellingly, US Weekly described Shriver's appearance on the show as "radiant, in a sexy teal gown."
The tacet agreement: Shriver "wins" by being more attractive. And that is a misguided tendency, said Dina Zeckhausen, Atlanta psychologist and founder of the Eating Disorders Information Network.
"Marriage and affairs are very complex and people like simplicity. Our tendency is to try to boil these things down to good guys and bad guys," said Zeckhausen. "What people don’t understand about affairs is they are usually less about how the person looks and more about how the person makes you feel. What we get out of an affair is the feeling of being special again and that’s very addictive."
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