“Divyanka Tripathi’s husband” — That might sound like the kind of introduction a man would be desperate to correct. But Vivek Dahiya seems to have reached a rather different place with it. In a recent interview, while speaking about how people often recognise him through his wife, the actor opened up about embracing that association and not taking it as a personal insult to his identity.“That day, someone said, ‘You came with your husband. So, Divyanka reacted, thinking that ‘He doesn’t give me a reaction at home; I might as well tell them to take his name’. So, I went home and told her, What was the need? I don’t want this forced respect. That will come organically. And my work speaks for itself,” he shared with Pinkvilla, further adding: “For the longest time, my identity was tied to Divyanka. But very soon, the time will come when she will be identified through me.”DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to.Kruti Shah, cell psychologist at Mpower Aditya Birla Education Trust, says that there is something refreshingly uncomplicated about Vivek and Divyanka’s marriage.“A woman being introduced as ‘his wife’ has rarely been treated as a commentary on the man’s success. But when a man becomes ‘her husband’, there is often an immediate curiosity about what he does, how successful he is, and whether he has managed to create a name for himself,” Shah tells indianexpress.com.“Somewhere underneath those questions is an old expectation that the man is supposed to be the one whose identity is already established. The woman may share his identity, but he isn’t really expected to share hers,” she shares. Vivek’s take shows how secure he is in his masculinity. (Source: Instagram/@vivekdahiya)Identities are shiftingShah believes that today, there are plenty of relationships where the woman is the more recognisable one.Story continues below this ad“She may have the bigger career, the larger social media following, the higher income, or simply a profession that puts her in the public eye. And while this doesn’t mean every man automatically feels comfortable with that, there is a growing willingness to admit that a partner’s success does not have to become a referendum on him,” says the expert.And according to her, this is where the psychology becomes interesting. Shah explains that a person’s relationship with their partner’s success often says something about how they see themselves.“If self-worth is heavily tied to being successful, respected, or ‘ahead’, someone else’s achievements can quietly feel threatening. It doesn’t necessarily look like obvious jealousy. Sometimes it is just irritation at being introduced as ‘her husband’, discomfort when people praise her more, or the need to constantly establish one’s own credentials,” she elaborates.Shah says that the underlying feeling can be less about the partner and more about what her visibility makes him feel about himself.Story continues below this adBut there is another way of looking at it. “A man who knows who he is does not necessarily need his partner to be less successful to feel successful himself. He can acknowledge that she is the bigger name and still believe that his own journey has value,” she opines, adding that this isn’t passivity or a lack of ambition. In fact, it can require considerable security to stop treating a relationship like a quiet competition over who is doing better.How young couples are redefining old narrativesFor younger couples, Shah says this may be one of the more significant changes in the relationship landscape.Equality isn’t necessarily about both people earning the same, having identical careers or receiving the same amount of attention. Because simply put, life doesn’t work that neatly.ALSO READ | Vivek Dahiya opens up about irresistible sugar cravings, the effects of having two boxes of Mysore Pak: ‘The next day…’“One person may be ahead today and the other tomorrow. One career may demand more attention for a while; the other may take centre stage later. But the relationship becomes healthier when these shifts don’t constantly threaten the couple’s sense of who matters more,” she elaborates.Story continues below this adPerhaps that is the masculinity we are beginning to see more of — one that doesn’t need to be the loudest identity in the room. After all, Shah believes that your partner being known before you isn’t necessarily proof that you are standing in their shadow.“Sometimes, it simply means you are standing beside someone who happens to shine very brightly. Being secure enough to let that happen may be a far more interesting measure of a man’s identity than being the person everyone recognises first,” she concludes.DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to.