MARRIED At First Sight bride Stephanie Marshall has rejected claims that confident and ambitious women are “too masculine”, saying the debate sparked by her on-screen relationship highlights outdated attitudes that still exist today.
The Wellington Point real estate agent found herself at the centre of the conversation after comments made by her on screen husband Tyson Gordon during the experiment about strong women and traditional roles.
But Ms Marshall says she does not accept the idea that ambition or confidence should be seen as masculine traits.
“I think it’s crap, to be honest,” she said.
“I don’t think I’m too masculine, and I don’t think a woman who is strong and ambitious and has direction is too masculine either.”
She believes much of the perception comes from the nature of her work in real estate, where taking charge and guiding clients is part of the job.
“My role requires me to take charge. I have clients that come to me that pay me a fee for them to, you know, they don’t sell their home every day,” she said.
“This is something I do. It’s my specialty, it’s my line of work.
“So they come to me as an authoritative figure to take charge and lead them through, navigate that journey.”
The debate intensified during the show when her partner Tyson spoke about wanting a “submissive” partner — a view Ms Marshall strongly rejected.
“That is a big problem,” she said.
“That is a big, big problem.
“I think it’s a huge problem for men as well. I mean, obviously there are people out there that chase that.”
Ms Marshall believes the situation highlighted how some men can still feel uncomfortable with successful women.
“Unfortunately, I do think that’s the case,” she said.
“I think that Tyson was definitely intimidated by that.”
The couple’s rocky relationship began with mixed first impressions on their wedding day.
“I think he’s attractive and I was really being open-minded,” she said.
“If I saw Tyson in the street, I look at his body and I’m like, yes. I look at his face and think, you know, it’s not really my cup of tea.”
Despite the challenges on the show, Ms Marshall says the experience also made her reflect on relationships and dating.
One surprising revelation from the series was that she had never been in a serious relationship before.
But she says that had less to do with the local Redlands dating scene and more with her own lifestyle.
“It’s not that it’s that bad (in the Redlands). It’s that I didn’t put myself out there,” she said.
“I’m very routine based and look, I live a great life and I was kind of just, I don’t know, suppose a little bit lazy when it came to dating.”
Living and working in the Redlands also meant the social circles were often small and overlapping.
“It’s a small place around here. Everyone knows everyone,” she said.
Ms Marshall admitted she briefly tried dating apps but quickly lost interest.
“I might match with a few people and exchange a bit of small talk and then get the shits and log out,” she said.
“I’ve never been on an app date.”
For her, the ideal scenario was always meeting someone organically rather than through an app.
“I’ve always had this thing about meeting someone organically,” she said.
While the experiment itself may not have delivered the relationship she expected, Ms Marshall says it ultimately helped her better understand what she wants from a partner.
“I learnt, first and foremost, what I want from a relationship,” she said.
“And I learnt that I’m really, really resilient.”
