Dear Abby: My husband is 76 but doesn’t look a day over 60. He has a full head of hair with little graying, no facial wrinkles, and he’s fairly fit. I’m 71 and look every day my age, probably older. I have graying hair — lots of it — but I like the color and will never dye it. I am fit, but the deep facial wrinkles and turkey neck emphasize my age. I “thank” my husband, a man I’ve lived with for 40 years, for this. He has given me years of stress and disappointment.
My issue: When we are out together, strangers inevitably tell him how shocked or surprised they are at how he “doesn’t look how old he is.” I’m left sitting right there feeling as if they think I’m his mother. Every time this happens, for days and sometimes weeks, he will spend time staring at himself in the mirror and reminding me how lucky I am to have such a handsome husband. He has always had an ego problem, but it is getting worse. Is there a response to get him to get over himself?
— Mr. Handsome’s Wife