For a show with a title that sounds like it would rival the likes of the reality shows Basketball Wives and The Kardashians, Family Feud remains a show about loyal relatives battling together in order to earn a group prize. With that wholesome concept, it comes as no surprise that America’s most popular fill-in-the-blank show can reveal some gems about what it is that we truly value. I recently saw an episode of Celebrity Family Feud that prompted, “We talked to 100 single men, fill in the blank: my ideal wife would be both hot and ______”. The top four answers revealed a biblical general truth that men desire women who resemble the Proverbs 31 Wife.
The answers were, in order of popularity:
- Nice/Sweet
- Smart
- Rich
- Loyal
Compare these four (well five if you include “hot”) traits to the description of the Proverbs 31 Woman
- Hot: “She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks” (verse 17).
- Nice: “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy” (verse 20) and “She brings him good, not harm all the days of her life” (verse 12).
- Smart: “She speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue” (verse 26).
- Rich: “She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night” (verse 18).
- Loyal: “She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness” (verse 27).
Of the 100 men surveyed for the Family Feud question, I can guess that only a fraction were followers of Christ. Yet, because the book of Proverbs gives us general guidance in the way we should go, God’s words prove true in all of mankind: “a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised” (verse 30).
The Research on a “Hot” Body and What the Bible Reminds Us
Going back to that list, of course I wouldn’t be myself without discussing the desire for a “hot” wife based on scientific evidence. As previously mentioned, the virtuous woman has strong arms (and probably a toned stomach, perky butt and killer calves) from her constant physical labor. This included spinning wool, making clothes, walking, and cooking. Evidence from studies reveals that that “…increasing light physical activity and reducing sedentary time, may prevent weight regain following weight loss1” and that people who are overweight tend to engage in more sendentary time and in less light physical activity than people who are normal weight2.
Apart from physical activity, given that she was not given to gluttony (Proverbs 27, Proverbs 23: 20-21), I’m sure she maintained a lower weight status. Proverbs tells us that such a woman does not “eat the bread of idleness”. She is not an emotional eater driven to snack due to being bored. In their study entitled “Eaten up by boredom: consuming food to escape awareness of the bored self”, Moynihan and colleagues conduct multiple tests to investigate food choices people make in relation to boredom. In one part of their research, they conclude that “the influence of boredom promotes preferences for less healthy foods, consistent with the previous studies”3. Because the Proverbs 31 Wife is busy tending to the Lord’s affairs (taking care of her household, her employees, the poor in her community), she eats for nutrition and not entertainment.
Importantly, the Bible reminds us that spiritual training such as prayer and fasting is much more valuable that physical training (1 Timothy 4:8). These disciplines come with blessings in both the eternal and the current life here on earth. For example, relinquishing control to God through prayer gives us God’s strength in times when our physical bodies are weak and our circumstances are out of our control.