I now pronounce you Man and Wife of the Year

With married women being all the rage right now, it’s no wonder that several of California’s Women of the Year count “wife of state legislator” among their primary accomplishments.
I wonder if Swiffer sponsored the awards dinner?

In Monday’s Senate floor speech honoring the selection of the women of the year, first lady Maria Shriver boasted that, “This is an achievement that will never leave you. You will always be known as a California woman of the year. No one can take it away from you. You didn’t come here because of who you were married to.”
Well, at least some of them didn’t.

This prompted me to look up past winners of Time’s Person of the Year Award– which was called “Man of the Year Award” until the shockingly recent year 1999. Queen Elizabeth II (1952) and Corazon Aquino (1986) are the only “non-wives” to be given the honor (though some women have been honored in groups). In 1936 Wallis Warfield Simpson received the award after she married the Prince of Wales. And in 1937, Time gave the “Man and Wife of the Year Award” to Mr. and Mrs. Chiang Kai-Shek. Most recently, 2005’s Man, Wife and Rockstar of the Year were Bill and Melinda Gates and Bono.
Not saying these honored wives weren’t worthy of recognition for other accomplishments outside of their marriages. But it certainly seems like the best way to be noticed for your achievements is to marry a prominent man… or divorce one:

A thin and playful Jennifer put modesty aside as the first ever woman to be honored on the cover in the 10-year history of GQ’s “Men of the Year” issue series! … Aniston earned the honor because the magazine said she showed a lot of poise, grace and good humor during her breakup with Brad Pitt this year. The couple’s divorce was granted last month after four years of marriage.