I think she's the prototype model for The Stepford Wives.
To some, it was a cautionary tale. To audiophiles, it was escapist fantasy. After all, it was rich audiophiles who coined the passive/aggressive term "Wife Acceptance Factor," which runs counter to their own desires to take over the home. Notice how the 'wife' in their stories is always
in the kitchen (where she "belongs"), only intruding on the listening room and speaking in order to confirm the 'wisdom' of her audiophile man with his 'golden ears.' Such audiophiles probably saw the movie a hundred times or more each, similar to another group whose fantasies led them to overdose on Star Wars screenings.
Honestly I don't see that audiophiles using the WAF are all, or even mostly, of the MadMen bent you seem to ascribe.
It's a fact most audiophiles are men, and hence are more tolerant (welcoming actually) of significant audio gear taking up visual residence in a home. That's not saying male audiophiles don't care about aesthetics too - I do strongly - just that we are generally the ones wanting to place this equipment in the home.
WAF can simply be an acknowledgement of this fact and ALSO that we are NOT just bulldozing equipment in to the home without care what our spouse thinks, but understanding we share a home, need to consider our partner's reaction to gear we are going to place in our home.
That's certainly how I think of WAF.
A non-audiophile friend recently got the bug for upgrading his speakers. He and his wife listen to lots of music. Ultimately the choice of speakers and where they would be placed was highly influenced by the "WAF." He bought KEF LS50s and I brought over some speaker stands to lend him. He had the KEFS only about a foot and a half off the ground, against the wall, sitting on top of his old ratty speakers. Looked awful to my eyes and impeded the sound. But to his wife they were more "out of sight, out of mind" that way. We placed them on stands (she was away at the time) my friend said "I dunno if she'll go for these" (even though to both of us things looked far better."
Pulled the speakers a bit more out from the wall, less close to the flatscreen that was impeding the imaging. Friend said sounded great but "can guarantee my wife will have pushed the speakers back to the walls in no time."
Eventually we ended up with the best compromise of what he liked and best sound we could manage, but accommodating his wife's wishes so the speakers ended up in less than an ideal location.
But WAF was indeed a guiding factor, as it is for many such scenarios. And this was done not with some Patriarchal attitude of 'Male In Control Of The House' but rather a recognition you share the house, which includes accommodating the input and wishes of one's partner.