I married a good boy. He's kind, loving, supportive, sweet -- all the good things my mama told me to look for in a man. He says that until he met me, every woman he dated left him for a 'bad boy'. I don't know how true it is, cause he tends to exaggerate, but that got me curious. Which do women prefer, the good boy or the bad?
As an author who writes romance novels, I have to say, "Give it up for the bad
boys!" Yes, some of my heroes are the sweet, kind, supportive guys who've been pushed around, trashed and crapped on by nearly every woman they've ever dated - until they meet the woman of their dreams. These are wonderful men, the kind of guy that every nice girl should marry. They'll treat her right, take care of her, love her, nurture her and give her the greatest sex in the world. Yeah, Mr. Dream Date!
Wil has his tender side and fights to help the weak and oppressed. He lives by a rigid code of ethics, though many find his self-inflicted guidelines confusing. He is honorable, though it is honor by his definition of the word. In short, he is a contradiction in nearly every aspect of his life - which is one thing that makes him so incredibly irresistible.
What I want to know is this. As authors or readers, which do you prefer? Be honest. Given the choice between a gorgeous, sexy, hunk of lovable, adorable, sweet, compromising man or a dangerously sexy, handsome, cold-hearted killer, which do you want to read about? Does it depend on the situation? Does it depend on the heroine? What, to you, makes the irresistible man? So the men won't feel left out, tell us about the ideal woman.
5 comments:
Good or bad doesn't matter as much as whether or not they're interesting. Does the guy do the unexpected? Is he clever? Is he strong in character to know who he is and be honest about it, even if he's not a model of perfection?
I have to say, I know a lot of women who went for the bad boy but they ALWAYS end up leaving him in the end. Most bad boys are just talk and nothing more. At least the ones I know;)
Good boys need an edge to them; some mystery. A purely good boy is too hard to believe.Bad boys can't be too bad, they need at least one redeeming quality. Bad asses are more edgy and are appealing to some women. I like a man who is a little of both but has values.
I agree with all of you! I like boys with an edge -- not bad, but not all good. I have to admit, though, Wil is a bad bad boy in many ways. He hasn't shown how bad yet, except in some short stories.
In stories, bad boys can be more interesting to follow (to me at least) but certainly not in real life. I find them interesting in writing and in reading because in order to evolve the character must have some sort of arc progression, so I like to see where that bad boy will go, and how. If he is just stomach wrenchingly awful, then that isn't fun to read either. I agree with you all, I like a good boy with a little edge and a bad boy that has some redeeming aspect (no matter how small.)
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