Why so many midlife women like me have fallen for Arnold Schwarzenegger

The cost of living crisis and mortgage interest rates can send normal people to ruin. Not me! I’d rather get to the important question of the day: who will be giving birth for us midlife women in 2023? Yes, it seems superficial, but what better way to stay zen and keep those vibes up?

Now that the justification is out of the way, let’s move on. All those actors who flock to those awful superhero movies can do one. It’s a big no to Ryan Gosling.

Inexplicably channeling his inner Ken doll and looking about as bedable as a Thunderbirds doll. Brad Pitt is still thrashing distinctly unsexy coffee machines. And as for the portly Russell Crowe? Well, the less said, the better actually.

Step forward Arnold Schwarzenegger instead. Because this is the behemoth that makes my heart beat faster. I know! You read that correctly. As a 52-year-old married woman, I’ve learned over the decades that the world doesn’t give us the handsome heartthrob we crave. Instead, it lands us with the one we really need.

I know full well that most men, millennials, and Gen Zers won’t get the appeal of the 75-year-old Austrian father of five and former governor of California. But let me inform you. Arnold is hot.

Until the pandemic, I would have agreed that oiled beefcakes starring in movies called Conan the Barbarian and Commando are heroes only for teens and dudes who insist on wearing t-shirts and hoodies into their 40s .

Arnold’s bodybuilding physique never appealed to mainstream women. Instead, those teak thighs and walnut-shaped biceps were only glorified by the same dudes who fangirl about Ronaldo’s Greek god physique.

My head was first turned by Mr. Schwarzenegger during the lockdown. Arnold didn’t just trot the statesman talk about staying home and protecting lives. (We will overlook the fact that this speech was given in a hot tub while puffing on a giant stogie cigar)

He also started posting videos on Instagram of his donkey Lulu and mini pony Whiskey running his house. After all the boring celebrity lovemaking in videos — Gary Barlow singing to anyone who even has him in mind — Arnold was quite the revelation.

Here was a sober man. One who was generous and kind and fun with his pets.

Show me a man with his animals – Arnold also has adorable dogs named Snitzel and Dutch – and that’s all you need to know about how he treats women. They are simply the center of his world.

What sensible woman would agree to admit she likes Arnold’s pants? Well, I’m not alone in thinking that the former Mr Universe and Mr Olympia are now hotter than George Clooney.

Take a look online at women discussing the recently released documentary series about his life on Netflix and you’ll see what I mean.

Yes, it took him until his 70’s to grow into his looks, but we’re finally waking up to what a good dude he is.

What most men don’t understand is that beefcake bodies do nothing for us women. Those fat muscles? No. You can bend all you want and we still prefer a dad or a dude who makes us laugh.

I’d be the first to say that men who shave, tan and then rub their muscles to pose and pout during competitions smell like narcissism.

But bodybuilding requires tremendous discipline, and it’s this wisdom that Arnold has come to share through his Monday-Friday motivational emails. Or as Arnold likes to call them, ‘the positive corner of the internet’.

And to be honest it helps that he has turned into a very attractive silver fox. The hair? Account. Ditto the short trimmed beard. The biceps are located just to the right side of the muscle head.

Of course Arnold stays in shape. But it’s the how and why he stays in shape that ensures his social media posts don’t just appeal to men who pump iron — they also appeal to the fairer sex who want to give it a try.

We all know about his unlikely but popular political career, his grim childhood at the hands of someone who redefined what it means to be a stern father.

After more than two decades of marriage, he admitted that he fathered a son with his housekeeper (and he did not hide his love for his love child, unlike some politicians we can all think of).

His wise words about the situation in Ukraine touched many, including me. He knows from personal experience (or rather that of his late father) the folly of war and the shadow it casts over the human psyche.

Arnold is one of the doers of life. He really gets things done. He recently repaired potholes in his local neighborhood and footed the bill for the cost.

When it comes to spouting about kindness online, Arnold really does what he says. His Goop-style daily wellness newsletter is nothing short of inspiring. Yes, it’s hard to remind ourselves to train with science-backed inspo bullets, but as a planet, we absolutely need it.

It’s no surprise to me that so many girlfriends giddily recommend the Netflix documentary series about him – and secretly talk about how hot he is.

That is why I express my admiration for Arnold. He’s a brilliant dad, did the Mea Culpa for his ex and kids for his (at the time) untamed libido and today he’s an all round older, wiser (hotter) dude.

While I’ve never seen a Terminator movie – and don’t intend to – I’ll always keep a close eye on Arnie. He is simply the hero we women of the world need right now.