By Maleesa Johnson
Husband hunters, rings by spring and “M-R-S” degrees are common phrases around the Baylor Bubble. These are not entirely unwarranted. Certain females here, as well as women at other colleges, may indeed be more focused on the pursuit of a husband than the pursuit of academic success.
However, there are two sides to the coin.
The housewife hunters exist. This sector of men may not be at Baylor solely on the grounds of getting their “M-R” degree, but on average they do target a select group of women.
The housewife hunter wants exactly what his title implies. He wants a woman that can cook, clean and raise 2.5 children while maintaining a trophy-wife appearance.
For a large percentage of the time, he slides under the radar, overwhelmed by the other male stereotypes of Baylor.
While this admittedly is a broad generalization, from my experience it does not seem far-fetched to believe that the housewife hunter is buried within most men at Baylor. They may not even realize it yet.
At first, this chauvinistic, old-fashioned expectation was surprising to me.
However, after taking a step back and looking at the backgrounds of the average housewife hunter, it all made sense.
First, he is typically a “momma’s boy.” He is accustomed to seeing his mother perform her spousal and motherly duties with grace and a smile.
His mom is an extraordinary woman and it makes perfect sense that he should pursue a girl with her qualities.
There is nothing wrong with that.
In addition, he is typically Southern. I know, naturally he is likely to be Southern; we go to a college in Texas. But I’m not speaking from a geographical standpoint.
I mean he is Southern. He believes in chivalry and will address you as “ma’am.”
It’s charming. Behind that polite behavior is the expectation that, should you two end up together, you will reciprocate with years of humble servitude.
That sounds harsh. I do not think of housewives as slaves. There are many women that gladly choose that vocation and are equally as gifted and intelligent as any professional. My mother’s full-time job was raising my brothers and me, and home schooling us for the significant portion of our adolescence.
She also holds a college degree and can multitask more efficiently than anyone I know. So please do not read this as me demeaning housewives.
Rather, this is aimed to take the heat off of our resident husband hunters. You are not alone out there.
If you came to Baylor with the ring by spring as your goal, you may be in luck. Women are not the only ones who enter college in hopes of finding their lifelong mate.
However, be warned.
Some males in search of wives at Baylor have certain expectations, and unless you enjoy making sandwiches, you may want to discuss those expectations before it’s too late.
It is not the housewife hunter’s fault that he is the way he is. He was practically raised to search out a certain type of woman.
In short, don’t blame the M-R-S degree seekers or the housewife hunters.
Odds are, they were raised that way.
Maleesa Johnson is a sophomore journalism major from Round Rock. She is a staff writer for The Lariat.
