Most married guys will tell you “a happy wife means a happy life.”

But what they didn’t tell you is that making her happy should not include jokes about her body image.

This joke illustrates this scenario, and the husband learned his lesson the “hard” way.

One evening a husband, thinking he was being funny, said to his wife,

“Perhaps we should start washing your clothes in Slim Fast. Maybe it would take a few inches off of your butt!”

His wife was not amused and decided that she simply couldn’t let such a comment go unrewarded.

The next morning, the husband took a pair of underwear out of his drawer.

“What the hell is this?” he said to himself, as a little dust cloud appeared when he shook them out.

“April,” he hollered into the bathroom, “Why did you put talcum powder in my underwear?”

She replied with a snicker: “It’s not talcum powder. It’s Miracle Grow!”

Just like what they say, if you can dish out the heat, then better get out of the kitchen.

Let’s just say that snarky comeback is going to leave a mark.

Or maybe take off some inches.

On a more serious note, body image issues, especially in marriage, is something we shouldn’t joke about.

This both true for husbands and wives. As we are all bombarded on social media by altered and unrealistic standards of beauty, every post can feel like a criticism of your own body.

This can all affect our self-confidence and would eventually get in the way of intimacy.

One important part of your relationship that can be affected by body image issues is what you do in bed. In sex, it’s very important that you feel confident in your skin. But if you are living with the criticisms from your partner, then you can feel unaccepted, devalued, and unlovable.

According to Dr. Susan Whitbourne from Psychology Today:

“You are, after all, a physical being, and the awareness of how you look becomes intimately tied to your self-concept in general.”

Harsh criticism towards your partner can make them less open to communication as well.

According to John Gottman, a relationship researcher, criticism is a habit that can quickly corrode the foundations of a marriage – or a relationship for those who are unmarried.

Criticism can make people question their value and self-worth, especially if it came from a person who’s supposed to love them.

As humans, we are meant to be imperfect in different ways.

So how can you communicate your sentiments better? Criticisms are easier to dish out because it makes us feel less vulnerable.

Being open to your needs and feelings can help you better in connecting to your partner instead of berating them.

You can softly open up a conversation by telling your partner what you feel about a certain habit, thought, or behavior of theirs then ask what you need from them.

So if you find yourself joking like this to your partner, maybe you can sit down and talk about how you can support each other instead.

After all, isn’t the intention of getting married Is to keep each other happy? But yes, the clap back is pretty good, though.

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Source: Huffington Post, The Jordan Times, Psychology Today, Reddit, Flickr, Pexels