American pastor urges women to be "epic trophy wife like Melania Trump"; How far is it justified

'Trophy wife' – the term's etymological origins may have been dated back to ancient practice of warriors capturing the most beautiful women during battle to bring home as wives but its significance is still the same in modern society.

Taking the leverage, an American pastor in a shocking revelation during a religious sermon urged women to put more effort in staying 'desirable' so that their partners do not get distracted by other women.

"Ladies, here's the thing you need to know about men: Don't give him a reason to be like this 'distracted boyfriend.' You hear me?," said Allen Clark, the 55-year-old pastor, during the sermon at the First General Baptist Church.

A distortion to body positivity

A 'trophy wife' is designation attached to the personal merit of a woman, mainly other than her physical attractiveness and requires substantial expense for maintaining her appearance. The word demeans the stature of a woman referring her often as unintelligent and unsophisticated, who does very little of substance beyond remaining attractive, and is in some ways synonymous with the term gold digger.

A 'trophy wife' is typically relatively young and attractive, and may be a second, third or later wife of an older, wealthier man. The word is particularly famous as her opposite, a 'trophy husband', the male equivalent, although very rare.

Referring to a spouse as a 'trophy wife' usually reflects negatively on the personalities of both parties. For the husband, it has a connotation of pure narcissism and the need to impress, while 'he' would not be able to attract the sexual interest of the attractive woman for any reason apart from his wealth or position.

Something similar was the condition with Melania Trump, especially at a time when it is widely claimed that the dear former US First Lady is planning to divorce Trump after the latter lost in the presidential elections of 2021.

According to US media reports, Melania has been "bitter and chilly" toward her husband and ex president Donald Trump since exiting the White House on January 20.

Sexism in church

Meanwhile, the pastor further went ahead instructing women to use more make-up to stay 'pretty' and even uses an example from one of the offensive things his son said to him.

"Don't give him a reason to be looking around. Why is it so many times that women, after they get married, let themselves go? Now, look, I'm not saying every woman can be epic – the epic trophy wife of all time like Melania Trump – I'm not saying that at all. You know makeup? Makeup is a good thing! My little boy said, 'Why do girls wear makeup and perfume?' Because they're ugly and they stink. You don't want to be ugly and stink," Clark added.

The pastor has gone on leave while the 22-minute video has gone viral on social media platforms, with many people raising their voice against Clark's offensive sermons, with many criticised him for lecturing women about maintaining weight, while he himself is 'overweight'.

The outrage over the sermon led General Baptist Ministries, the denomination to which his Malden First General Baptist Church belongs, to address the matter on Facebook, saying, "General Baptists believe that every woman was created in the image of God, and they should be valued for that reason."