Inverted but then later played straight by my parents. When they were younger, my father was very handsome while my mother was not ugly but not very attractive either. Later on he lost his good looks and began to gain weight while she started to become handsome. I can only imagine this is what people's reaction would be if they spotted her parents together.

I has been told that this is the case with my boyfriend and I, but I don't see it. The guy? A cuddly bear who'd be really cute if he cleaned up a bit. Me? I work out constantly to maintain my natural hourglass and I've been said to be pretty.

Hopefully, me. Someday.

I firmly assert that my family is a perfect example of this trope, especially since she's been hitting the gym several times a week. When she was five months pregnant with our second child, she bought a pair of jeans in a size she hadn't worn since ''middle'' school!

Hey, you're not ''that'' bad. Your wife is very pretty, though, agreed.

I finds you more attractive than your wife.

Played straight; your wife is definitely HollywoodHomely.

I thinks you both look creepy, but for you it's mostly how you're smiling in that picture.

My band director has a gorgeous modellesque wife and he's a crabby old fat man. (We band geeks even wrote a song about him entitled "Jabba the Hut, Rockin' the Beer Gut" so we call his wife Princess Leia.

My aunt and uncle are a perfect example. She was a fashion model in the 70's and 80's and currently works in cosmetics. He is an overweight factory worker. No idea how that one worked out.

Did they fight crime?

While her father isn't necessarily ugly or her mother particularly hot or beautiful, I often ask my mom ''why?'' My father, while not really ugly, so to say, on the outside, he's a downright pain-in-the-ass (emphasis on the ass) madman who likes nothing more than driving his family as up the wall as he is. In the meantime, my mother (despite tainted by her husband's insanity) is calm, patient and kind, often tending to her kids when in need. Unless it directs her husband's bothering to her; in which her kids are outta luck.

A similar situation for me. My dad isn't at all nasty, but is hardly ever nice either. Added to this is their quite young age when they were married. The question "Do you two actually like each other?" is burning to be asked sometimes.

Similar here too, dad can get easily annoyed but to a lesser extent that the troper above.

Inversion. I have a handsome uncle who was married to a very unattractive woman. Over time she has revealed herself to not only be unattractive on the outside but on the inside as well, emotionally abusing him and their children.

A former boss of mine at a library mailroom was a short, pudgy, graying, middle-aged man. One day this beautiful and stylish redhead was in the office; I didn't know her, and I'm sure you can imagine my surprise when the boss introduced her as his wife. She was a whole head taller than him.

I have a white, British friend who worked in Japan for a while and was astounded at the number of ugly "western" men with beautiful Japanese girlfriends. Charisma Man is alive and well.

Truth in fiction, perhaps? I've known a few hideous white men here in the US of A with unbelievably hot Asian girlfriends.

For what it's worth, I've lived in Taiwan, and one of the most common stereotypes is "the foreigners take the ugly women". Why so? Differing beauty standards. Most Westerners don't mind, or even prefer, women with tans, women who are tall, women who are curvy, etc. Meanwhile, the typical Taiwanese appreciation of which Westerners are beautiful is also different--I am a woman with hazel eyes. I lived my entire life without getting complimented on them in the United States. Constant compliments on them in Taiwan, whereas the blue eyes people get weak-kneed for in the West are often considered simply weird. The Taiwanese also very much value thinness and height in men--so that men who might be described as "gangly" in the West have to beat the girls off with sticks. So in fact, this can end up being a win-win scenario: she can't believe her luck, and he can't believe his luck. Hurray!

MightyWhitey is probably the reason for this. White skin = foreign, exotic and most of all rich.

My high school is pretty much the embodiment of this trope. Most guys are not particularly attractive, and a massive nose and funny facial hair seem to be quite common among them, and the ones who don't have a frat boy personality are part of some fringe group, usually nerd, emo, or just plain weird. I would personally only call about five guys in the school actually attractive. Despite this, almost all of them have absolutely gorgeous girlfriends. One of the best examples was a drummer in the school's band. He's over 6 feet tall, skinny (but with disproportionately-muscled arms) with horrible acne, freckles, red hair, glasses, bad teeth, and melanoma in colors such as blue and green on the back of his neck, while also being very messed in the head and psychologically abusive to his girlfriend, resulting in an off-on relationship that breaks my heart when I see her go through it. His girlfriend, by chance, was by far the most beautiful girl in the school: Latina, 5'3ish, large breasts, curves, perfect looks. She even did modeling on the side.

''That'' is downright tragic.

I had one of these come into my store regularly, fit the description to the letter. Quite possibly the most inspiring thing I saw that summer.

Given the average levels of hotness of Russian women compared to Russian men, this could almost be called The Russian Trope...

Come again? This editor had a male Russian classmate who was absolutely ''gorgeous.'' Those eyes, that accent...

Questioning the judgment here, too. I have a Russian coworker (very, very attractive... and tall... and good with code) whose (admittedly Ukrainian) wife has just about the "sparkling personality" and a snarky sense of humor but little else obviously in her favor. Good Lord, their cuteness could make you diabetic, though.

Thirding the huh? In fact, being Russian is almost guaranteed to make me want you ''more''.

Sorry to pile on, but when I was on vacation in the Outer Banks, NC, US, there was a large population of young Russians and Ukranians, probably university students, who worked in the various touristy shops and such. Both the men and the women were absolutely stunning.

Now getting a fifteen-yard penalty for piling on, but [[Luo

I am actually Russian and has lived there for most of her life, and just doesn't understand the American fascination with us. Honestly, most of us Russian girls are ''not that hot.'' We're just average women like everyone else. In fact, I've actually once had an American react with surprise upon learning my nationality ("You're Russian? But I thought Russian girls were hot!"). But then again, if your standard for comparison are mail order brides (who ''have'' to be stunning or no one would buy them), I guess I can almost understand the confusion. Also, for what it's worth, I consider the average Russian man to be ''far'' more attractive than the average American man; maybe it has something to do with the fact that the former actually lead active lifestyles instead of sitting on the couch 24/7...

Russian women are stereotyped as being tall, blonde and passionate for some reason. For what it's worth, I'm straight and thinks Russian men can be pretty hot too.

There's me, a short, 5'7, 200 lb. Asian (I'm not supposed to be short and fat, just short), then there's my girlfriend. Yeah.

I bedded a string of hot girls in college despite being a gawky six-footer with an oversized head and an utterly silly mustache. Equal parts RefugeInAudacity when asking out girls and big pet snake.

Three from my family:

My dad was a ''very'' scrawny, rather geeky-looking guy complete with horn-rim glasses when he married my mom, an adorably fashionable girl; this seems to have reversed since my mom stopped caring about fashion some time in the 80s while my dad had to wear suit & tie every day (his stuff still dominates the closets, 7 years after retirement).

Dad's youngest brother is quite chunky and rather hirsute. His wife... *ponders* imagine a tall, hot, half-Asian Peggy Bundy (what can I say, her hair has a lot of body).

Mom's uncle was a farmer, and rather plain-looking; his wife was from a wealthy family and a YamatoNadeshiko. Theirs was an ArrangedMarriage, and she wasn't too pleased that her husband wasn't the eldest son (she got over it - when he passed away at 101 they were married for 60+ years); he was absolutely amazed to have landed such a looker.

This Editor's friend used to work as a model, so it came as a bit of a shock when she began showing up to events with her new boyfriend: a stocky, nerdy looking man who liked to wear overalls. Then he opened his mouth and charmed the entire room in less than a minute.

One of {{Jonn}}'s teachers was a smallish, balding, white-haired Englishman. Eye color and accent aside, his wife could be reasonably mistaken for Julie Andrews. One of his church members is an average-looking handyman. ''His'' wife is an attractive schoolteacher.

I am chubby, pale, and has poor teeth, yet has a girlfriend/fiancée who looks like nothing so much as a real-life version of Relena Peacecraft. Of course, it may not be a full example; I've been told that if I actually worked out some, I'd look like an older Daniel Radcliffe.

I've seen an inversion: one of my professors is a very plain-looking woman, clearly in her mid-forties. Her husband, also a professor, is more or less academic EstrogenBrigadeBait, and his female (and gay male) students all swoon over him.

My parents are an inversion. My father was, at a younger age somewhat Bishonen, but my mother... well, she has the complexion and hair of Michael Jackson, after all the surgery. Thankfully he takes after his father more.

I find hope in the few inversions out there that perhaps it can happen to her as well.

Same here, although I'm pretty liberal when it comes to hotness.

I am quite willing to bet there is some hotness within you that just isn't noticed or appreciated properly. It probably doesn't help, especially since I am not hot, but he'll hope for the best for you.

Allegedly, my husband (a high school algebra teacher) and I fit this to a T. So much so that numerous students have accused him of Photoshopping his pictures of the two of us. (A bold few have actually commented, "If you two ever have problems..." One of them was female. )

A friend of my family has always been beautiful. And I mean ''model'' beautiful: long blonde hair, statuesque, and basically something straight out of Vogue. Her husband, on the other hand, is the complete opposite: short, portly and likes to wear overalls. Just looking at the two together and you would think that you've stepped into an alternate reality, but once you talk to him it suddenly makes perfect sense. You've never met a wittier, sweeter guy. Like my grandmother likes to say, he could "charm the stripes off a zebra."

My husband believes that the trope applies to the couple. I'm notably taller than my husband, and thinner, and I have Kaleidoscope Eyes and what I've been told is a "strikingly beautiful" face. My husband is shorter than the average man (and actually, he's around the height of the average woman and I'm at the height of the average man). He is considered obese, he has chronic acne scars all over his back, one of his nicknames is Walrus, and he can be sort of a male version of a {{Meganekko}}. He says that everyone is thinking that I'm the attractive one. I think he is too self-conscious about his looks. But then again, I'm too self-conscious about my personality.

Also, my brother and his wife are a better example of this, to the point of it being lampshaded. There is an age difference of a little over two decades, with the gaunt man as the elder. My sister-in-law is a strong-willed yet nearly classic example of the Hair Of Gold trope, only mildly subverted in that the sister-in-law was not virginal at the time she met the man who would be her husband. My brother himself ignores the lampshade hangers, considering himself as both a White Haired Pretty Boy and the male version of Grandma What Massive Hotness You Have.

My school has had a scarcity of male students over the years, meaning even the most unattractive guy has girls chasing after him. The "hottest" guy in school - according to general opinion - would probably be ignored and left in the corner in the real world.

I have been told (by both the boy in question and others) this is the case with her and her boyfriend. No pictures here, but personally I find myself fairly average and I think he looks like Hilary Swank in 'Boys Don't Cry', which is definitely a good thing, so hey.

My friend mostly dates ugly, abusive idiots, but she is really pretty, even though she doesnt think she is.

An Art History teacher I had said that he was a four and his wife was a ten, and that when they go out he gets looks because his gray hair and his wife's youthful looks make him look like a creep.

I have tried, without any success, to make himself look more attractive to women. I can only hope now that this trope is played straight for him someday. *sighs*

I hear you, buddy. I've been bullied about my appearance for as long as I can remember, making me very unconfident, especially around men and constantly worrying about how I look. Fingers crossed that someday I can eventually be an inversion of this trope. And best of luck to you too.

I've been through a handful of flings and one-night stands with women that nobody he knows ever found attractive (though he himself does) due to his belief that he was the Ugly Guy half of the trope. The reason? His one relationship was with a girl that, until she cheated on him with his best friend and subsequently cheated on -him-, was generally considered to be the girl of every guy's dreams (and some girls, even). It's taken me better part of three years to be able to come to terms with it, and another three on top of that to realize that I'm not too ugly to date.

My childhood friend and her boyfriend. See here. See the girl who's on the swim team and likes America's Next Top Model, Orbit Gum, and Herbal Essences? That's her. See the guy who likes to play video games? That's him. He's not ugly, just not very attractive.

My mom and dad too. Scroll down to see my mom. She's OlderThanTheyLook and hasn't aged much since that picture was taken. She's 52 now...can you believe it? (She uses Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, and takes multivitamins.) YMMV though, and I always reminded my family of how "ugly" my mom was. Really, aside from being a {{Pettanko}} and not being able to cook (Though Dad is a LethalChef, but he doesn't know it, so dinnertime at my house sucks. YMMV, though.) she's not that bad. But I rambled on and on about how her dad was a "wuss" for marrying some ugly bitch like that. Her dad, on the other hand, is a bald, fat (okay, HollywoodPudgy), big-nosed guy. I couldn't find a picture of him BTW.

TruthInTelevision (sort of), perhaps? I've heard of butch lesbians who resemble Micky Rourke at best and have hot LipstickLesbian girlfriends who resemble AngelinaJolie.

Inverted with the parents of my friend, the dad is tall, rugged, and has a deep, sexy voice. However the friend's mother is overweight, homely, and nasally. The troper has seen pictures of them when they were younger, and they looked ''exactly the same as they do now'', so I hope that she's funny at least.

Would their names be Dan and {{Roseanne}}, by any chance?

This troper has a great inversion. My best friend's brother is SMOKIN'! He's probably one of the most attractive men I've ever seen, and he's also charming, talented, and intelligent. His soon-to-be wife, on the other hand, is not nearly so attractive. She's isn't ugly, but she's about average if she actually puts in effort, which she NEVER does. Seriously, this guy is borderline metrosexual with how well he dresses and does his hair and she just wears jeans and t-shirts all the time and never wears makeup and slouches a lot too. She's really awkward and clumsy too and eats candy all the time. Her personality isn't even that great. She's really quiet, and when you talk to her she is blunt to the point of rudeness and never beats around the bush and practically psychologically analyzes you and throws in your face, all the while, not giving a shit. Seriously, the first thing she said to me when I first met her was "I do not like you at all." God, she's not even intelligent. Seriously, he was valedictorian and went to Ivy League. I'm not even sure how they ended up together.

In the aforementioned girl's defense, the twin of the above Troper would like to mention that this girl, while very odd and eccentric, was being given dirty looks by the above Troper, making her rudeness understandable. Furthermore, not caring about how you look doesn't make you a bad person. Also, both parties of the aforementioned couple are very intelligent. Freakishly so. Both of their IQ's are somewhere around 180, at least. And both of them kept above 4.0's in college. It makes much more sense that two people who are so intelligent that they are set apart from most people as a whole (as is the case) would end up in a relationship. Not to mention, she is actually talented, knowing 7 languages fluently, never having to study for anything and still making a perfect grade, remembering any and everything you tell her so you won't ever have to repeat yourself, is a great artist, and poet/writer. Also, he has faults too. He can be a real manipulative ass, and she can see through him whenever he decides to play the Magnificent Bastard and calls him out on it. Besides, once you get to know her, she is really nice. She's given up a lot of free time to tutor me for my exams. She's still majorly awkward and devoid of social skills, but in some cases, being a genius really does come with a price. I will admit though, as far as most of society is concerned, they still are a great inversion of this trope, though she's not nearly so awful. I think less attractive or more free-minded girls like her get a bad rep. Sorry for the rant, but bad-mouthing isn't nice and no one deserves to be so horribly disrespected like that, even anonymously.

ANY UGLY RICH ASS DUDE AND HIS TROPHY WIFE. '''''ANY'''''.