London – More than half of married men find their mother-in-law attractive – and a quarter have a genuine crush, a study shows.
The poll of 1,500 husbands even found that one in six felt their mother-in-law was more attractive than their wife.
Eight in ten said they had a good relationship with her and three in ten claimed there was a secret attraction.
The research saw the old tradition of men disliking the mother-in-law fall by the wayside as eight in ten admitted they had a great relationship with their partner’s mother.
Nearly half of men in the poll thought their partner’s style and overall taste in clothing was heavily influenced by her mother. One in eight claimed that their mother-in-law was more stylish than their partner.
Psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos, who worked with Peter Hahn, which carried out the research and specialises in fashion for mature women, said: “These findings are really interesting to see - I think because popular culture is so youth-biased, older adults can feel undervalued, even unseen.
“Unsurprisingly many women aged 50 and over often lack confidence - when really they should be celebrating their age and embracing their beauty. Many women feel let down by retailers who seem to only cater for one size and shape- more brands need to start celebrating the diversity of female beauty.”
A spokesman for Peter Hahn said: “The results unearthed a strong appreciation for the nation’s mothers and clearly many mother-in-laws have much of which to be proud.
“It’s easy to pigeonhole older women and sometimes hard for them to feel sexy or appreciated but this study reveals how admired so many mother-in-laws actually are, both for their appearances, style and personality overall.
“The results show many men have quite the high opinion of their partner’s mother and this goes against the old cliche of the mother-in-law being a bit of a battle axe.
“Today, women in their fifties, sixties and beyond are far more stylish than ever before and have a confidence that clearly makes them feel fabulous at 50.
“Most women would actually take it as a compliment that their mother is thought of as attractive as it’s a great indication that style runs in the family.”
Daily Mail