Humorous … but actually, a real WTF issue in a lot of relationships. When I was dating ny first partner he looked like a younger version of Robert Redford, complete with the square jaw. Add a shaggy beard and a belly hanging over his belt, and the Redford analogy … well, not so much!

I tried to ignore the transformation, to “helpfully suggest” that after a stack of pancakes, slathered with butter and syrup, two eggs over easy, toast with jam, bacon and hash browns one probably didn’t need to get seconds, or just keep reminding myself that “looks are only skin deep.”

17 years in, I called it quits for a variety of reasons—and as superficial as it may sound, his appearance and my loss of sexual attraction were pretty high on the list. Conclusion: he wasn’t gonna change and I wasn’t able to forget the days that I went to bed with Robert Redford.