Selective breeding: Helping rich men meet trophy wives

We've all seen the story, and we know how it goes: a young model finds herself staring down the barrel of 27, the age at which the fashion industry ties models to trees and gives them the Old Yeller treatment. Somehow, using her charm and beauty, she manages to snag a rich man with poor social skills, and the two begin the dance of courtship, American-style. Prenups are signed, wedding vows are taken, and the joyous couple rides off into the sunset, where a house in Long Island or Westchester county awaits.

In the movies, the story takes the form of fashionista and famous writer Carrie Bradshaw and her mythical quest for money man Mr. Big. Never mind that Chris Noth, who plays Mr. Big, is pretty much a male model, or that Sarah Jessica Parker...well, I'm sure that she's considered amazingly attractive in England. Regardless, in the world of Sex and the City, she's the cute one and he's the rich one. And, I'm told, she finally gets him in the movie.

In the real world, the story is more about money than magic. After the wedding, the happy young couple has a couple of cute kids. Then, depending upon the strength of the pre-nup and the egregiousness of his affairs, the ex-model takes a nice payday and the cycle starts anew. Meanwhile, the rest of us are caught asking the same question: how, exactly, did Christie Brinkley end up with him?