Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green: Can a Sex Symbol Stay Happy With a '90s Holdover?

June 30, 2010— -- Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green: a picture of marital bliss?

Fox, 24, and Green, 36, got married on June 24, after six years of dating and two engagements. Looking at the newlyweds on the beach of Hawaii's Big Island, she in a red bikini, he in white board shorts, both flaunting wedding bands, they seem as happy as those anonymous couples whose portraits come in photo frames (tattoos aside).

Life's easy in the sand. Not so in Hollywood.

Here's the thing: Megan Fox is an international sex symbol. Brian Austin Green is well, not. True, she was unceremoniously ousted from the "Transformers" movie franchise that made her famous after she compared director Michael Bay to Adolf Hilter. Her latest movie, "Jonah Hex," failed to wow at the box office.

But Fox consistently finds her way to the top of those "hottest of the hot" lists drummed up by men's magazines. She gets media attention every time she reveals yet another quirk -- she's bisexual, she hates receiving compliments, she refuses to eat with restaurant silverware (the germs, the horrible germs).

Green, meanwhile, is best known for playing wannabe emcee David Silver on "Beverly Hills, 90210," the first edition. In 1996, he tried a real-life career as a rapper, dropping the album "One Stop Carnival." He has made appearances on such shows as the now-defunct sitcom "Freddie" and "CSI: Miami."

If their careers were cars, hers would be a Porsche, his would be a Pinto.

It's not a gender thing -- if "Twilight" heartthrob Taylor Lautner were dating recent Hollywood retiree (at the ripe old age of 24) Amanda Bynes, the same dichotomy would exist. And for Fox and Green, it could cause problems.

"There could be an imbalance of power in the relationship if her career is doing better," said Los Angeles-based psychologist Wendy Lee Walsh. "The thing to ask is, what does he have that's making her love him? Maybe he has a psychological edge. Maybe his power comes from his natural self-esteem. Maybe he likes himself."

He ought to, now that he's wedded to the fantasy object of most red-blooded American males. What works in Fox and Green's favor is the fact that, for the entirety of their relationship, she's always been bigger than he. With "Jonah Hex's" non-success, she's actually at a trough in her career, which could provide the perfect opportunity to settle into a new marriage.

"This is just status quo for them," said AskMen.com's editor in chief, James Bassil. His site joined a group of others in banning coverage of Fox for one day last summer because the hype around her had reached epic proportions. "If anything, her star seems to have fallen a bit over the past few months, and not to give too much credit to our own Anti-Megan-Fox Day, but there did seem to be a turning point last summer where people were saying, 'What's her value other than being a sex pot?'"

Serious actor? Maybe not. But wife and mother figure, perhaps.

"They do genuinely care about each other," said E! online gossip columnist Ted Casablanca. "It's not just for show. And she loves his kid [8-year-old Kassius]. She's crazy about that boy."

Ultimately, as the saying goes, opposites attract. The disparity between Fox's status as a sex symbol and Green's as a vestige of the '90s could make their union endure beyond the length of the average Hollywood marriage (5.67 seasons, give or take a few months if one or more of those seasons involves a reality TV crew).

"Let's put it this way -- I see them lasting a lot longer than Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson," Casablanca said. "Because those are people who are in it neck and neck. Brian and Megan are different animals, and that usually makes for a better match."