Model Couple
Don't they look lovely together? Well of course they look good together. That's the point.
In modeling, couples can be just any two models, but there seems to be a preference for how the appearance of the two complement each other. It's not always the case, but it shows up often enough.
If the couple is modeling clothes, as in the pic at right, expect the clothes to complement each other as well. Just that the guy isn't dressing that way because he's being whipped. He's being paid.
This can easily apply to families as well, even if the kids are supposed to be adopted or the family is blended. Could also apply to groups of friends, or just a large group in particular.
Remember, this is mainly for modeling, not fiction. Chemistry between these people isn't important, since they don't have to act. That is, unless it's part of an ad, but don't look for anything deep. They're just there to sell the product.
Compare Those Two Actors.
Contrast Ugly Guy, Hot Wife.
Advertising
- Seen It a Million Times in Fashion Magazines and advertising.
- Perhaps most common in those stock photos in wallets and picture frames.
- eHarmony ads are the dictionary example of this. How can a personality matching online service find couples that look so perfect together? Hmmm...
- Early commericals were especially bad, with both the man and woman having glasses, or red hair, or being Asian...
Anime and Manga
- Slayers: Lina/Gourry wear their hair long and have giant shoulder guards. Zel/Amelia both have flippy hair and beige tunics. The Foils (with arguable Ship Tease) Filia and Xellos go for short gloves and half-cloaks, and while their hair is different, the colors are complimentary.
- At one point in Paradise Kiss, Yukari goes to do a modelling shoot with a guy. Who turns out to be her boyfriend, George. This actually really annoys her.
- Is done with Syaoran and Sakura to show their school uniforms, in little shorts narrated by Kero at the end of some episodes, or in promotional artwork.
Film
- Every single one of the "Cullen Couples" in Twilight. The film even made the villain couple drop-dead gorgeous.
Live Action TV
- There's an episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch with some sort of cute couple contest, where Libby dumps her current boyfriend and finds a new one because his hair colour complements hers better. "He was a blond. We clashed."
Literature
- This is somewhat justified. In The Third Chimpanzee, Jared Diamond details research on subconscious selection for appearance similarities in mates. He notes that the relative length of the fourth finger has higher correlation in married couples than whether they have the same religion.
- It's lampshaded in Wraith Squadron, when Kell Tainer confesses love to Tyria Sarkin. She tells him he's Loving a Shadow, convincing himself that he loves her purely because they'd look good together, and because from an intellectual perspective they'd match too - she has no family, so he both doesn't have to deal with in-laws and can also provide her with his. He only loves the image of her. While Kell's shocked and hurt at first, he does realize that she's right.
- Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy in Harry Potter
Mythology
- In Celtic Mythology, Cu Chulainn is an extremely handsome warrior who is married with Emer, who is considered as the most beautiful woman in Ireland. Yes, this trope is Older Than Feudalism.
Western Animation
- In an episode of Daria, there is a Fashion Show for mothers and daughters. Tiffany, of the Fashion Club, hires a model to pretend to be her mother, just so they would look right. The "mother" is black, and the "daughter" is Asian, but what mattered is them looking good together.