History Main / AllGirlswantBadBoys

Related to ICanChangeMyBeloved, which often follows after this, and PowerDynamicsKink. The fandom reaction version of this is DracoInLeatherPants. In high school settings, often found alongside AllGuysWantCheerleaders (its [[DistaffCounterpart Spear Counterpart]]). A male SexierAlterEgo will probably be one of these. When the bad boy is ''literally'' a monster, see YouSexyBeast. Contrast EndearinglyDorky and WeaknessTurnsHerOn, where more timid, sweet, and "uncool" characters are seen as attractive. If the bad boy plays guitar, this will usually overlap with ArtistsAreAttractive. See LoveForgivesAllButLut if the girl is willing to tolerate any wrongdoing on the bad boy's part ''except'' philandering.

Related to ICanChangeMyBeloved, which often follows after this, and PowerDynamicsKink. The fandom reaction version of this is DracoInLeatherPants. In high school settings, often found alongside AllGuysWantCheerleaders (its [[DistaffCounterpart Spear Counterpart]]). A male SexierAlterEgo will probably be one of these. When the bad boy is ''literally'' a monster, see YouSexyBeast. Contrast EndearinglyDorky and WeaknessTurnsHerOn, where more timid, sweet, and "uncool" characters are seen as attractive. If the bad boy plays guitar, this will usually overlap with ArtistsAreAttractive.

** Inverted in one article. One of the writers went undercover on a dating site, posing as a woman with model looks who spends "her" entire profile making racist jokes, displaying bad manners, admitting to breaking the law, gladly admitting she lies about being pregnant to get what she wants, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and showing horrible grammar and spelling.]] Many men still messaged this person, asking for dates. The writer decided to up the ante by messaging them back, boasting about bullying young children, lying to a judge to avoid charges, and even making stupid demands of the men if they wanted to have sex with her, which included but was not limited to, [[BodyHorror allowing her to yank out one of their teeth]]. At one point, she freely explained that she only has sex with men so she can pretend to be pregnant and get money from them. Despite this, many men were gravitating toward her. And yes, it was all real.

Related to ICanChangeMyBeloved, which often follows after this. The fandom reaction version of this is DracoInLeatherPants. In high school settings, often found alongside AllGuysWantCheerleaders (its [[DistaffCounterpart Spear Counterpart]]). A male SexierAlterEgo will probably be one of these. When the bad boy is ''literally'' a monster, see YouSexyBeast. Contrast EndearinglyDorky and WeaknessTurnsHerOn, where more timid, sweet, and "uncool" characters are seen as attractive. If the bad boy plays guitar, this will usually overlap with ArtistsAreAttractive.

* In ''WesternAnimation/WonderWoman2009'', Steve suspects this with Hippolyta and Ares. Hard to get badder than the God of War.
* Gender-Flipped in ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}''. The titular hero is sweet, innocent, clumsy and head over heels for the sexy, sarcastic, jaded {{Anti Villain}}ess Megara. The feeling turns out to be quite mutual, and LoveRedeems in its classic form kicks in. Definitely something different, especially for a Disney movie.

* Played with in the case of Wrestling/TerriRunnels during WWE's Wrestling/AttitudeEra. She made her debut as Marlena the valet of her real life husband's Wrestling/{{Goldust}} persona. Goldust was a heel. However, after his HeelFaceTurn, Goldust lost Terri for a few days to heel Brian Pillman, but then initially [[DefiledForever refused to take her back]]. About a year later, Goldust broke character and appeared as a Born Again Christian Dustin Runnels, who was willing to forgive and forget and take Terri back. She however, blew him off for Val Venis, a playboy persona. However, when Venis started to {{reform|edRakes}}, Runnels showed up again as Goldust and Terri came running to him. After he rejected her for good this time, she became a StrawFeminist who swore off men completely.

* In ''Theatre/TheMusicMan'', Mayor Shinn's daughter Zaneeta falls for the rebellious teen Tommy Djilas to the horror of her parents.
** PlayedWith for Marian Paroo. Marian initially snubs [[TheBarnum Harold Hill's]] advances and dreams of being with an "honest man", though she eventually falls for him after seeing the joy and confidence he has sparked in the town's citizens with his idea for a band. Harold, in turn, decides not to ditch town and to stay with Marian.

** PlayedWith for Marian Paroo. Marian initially snubs [[TheBarnum Harold Hill's]] advances and dreams of being with an "honest man", she eventually falls for him after seeing the joy and confidence he has sparked in the town's citizens with his idea for a band. Harold, in turn, decides not to ditch town and to stay with Marian.

* Sarah of ''Theatre/TanzDerVampire'' is a lot more interested in the vampire Count von Krolock than she is in Alfred, the quintessential (human) DoggedNiceGuy. She spends the musical longing for the Count's bite even as Alfred sings of his love for her.
* {{Deconstruct|ion}}ed in ''Theatre/{{Heathers}}''. Veronica was very much attracted to bad boy J.D. when he was just a broody, intense bookworm with a troubled past that beat up {{Jerk Jock}}s in the cafeteria. Once he starts murdering people, however, their relationship goes south.
* The ''Theatre/{{Mrs Hawking}}'' play series: {{Subverted|Trope}} with Arthur the policeman. He's just about the sweetest, most straightforward guy you could imagine, and he's presented as a romantic and attractive figure [[spoiler:for lead character Mary]]. [[ZigzaggingTrope Zig-zagged]] with Clara, who briefly dated the roguish playboy Justin Hawking before settling down with his more gentlemanly little brother Nathaniel.
* ''Theatre/{{Elisabeth}}'': As far as bad boys go, it doesn't get worse than [[spoiler: killing two of your children and saying point blank that he will own you in the end]]. In fact, it's after he did it the second time that Elisabeth breaks and begs Death to take her. The German tour and Raimund Theater revival amped it up by giving Death the HellBentForLeather trope.[[note]]Which was a version of ActorInspiredElement, as the androgynous costume used for previous Deaths does not look flattering on ultra-masculine Mark Seibert. Takarazuka productions also took note of this sartorial change.[[/note]]
* Genderswapped in ''Theatre/LoveInHateNation'', where protagonist Susannah ends up falling for the bad ''girl'' instead, Sheila. She wears a leather jacket, doesn't care what other people think of her, and [[spoiler: rides off on a motorcycle at the end of the show]]. Susannah is enraptured.

!!Example subpagess:

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys/WebComics

This portrayal can sometimes be the product of EntitledToHaveYou, StandardHeroReward, or NiceGuysFinishLast on the part of a good guy we're supposed to root for or the audience or the {{author|Appeal}}. This bad boy is made to be a {{foil}} and show how "undesirable" the other options are. This can backfire if there are [[PeripheryDemographic female audience]] members who have something else in mind. Ironically, their FixFic is likely to 1) [[DracoInLeatherPants make the bad boy look better]] and 2) [[RonTheDeathEater make the nice guy look worse]].

-->-- '''Creator/RogerEbert''', ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' [[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081119/REVIEWS/811199997 review.]]

!!Example Subpagess:

!!Other Examples:

* Toyed with in ''VisualNovel/CrescendoEienDatoOmotteItaAnoKoro''. Ryo, the main character, is a gruff guy with a bad reputation and a troubled past who sleeps through school enough to put his graduation in jeopardy. However, the girls like him... because [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold he's a kind-hearted guy who stands by them when they need support]], not the fact that he can beat up 3 guys at once.

** Subverted by Tucker's son Connor, usually a good mannered but immature kid who goes through a bad boy phase during the first half of the eighth season. Most characters and fans of the show agree that they find the cute and cheerful Connor a lot more charming than bad boy Connor, who they mostly find just annoying and out of control.

All this, of course, tends to gloss over the fact that [[ShapedLikeItself bad boys are]] ''bad'', meaning criminally inclined, [[{{Jerkass}} self-centered]], [[SanityHasAdvantages probably not too mentally stable]], [[BastardBoyfriend potentially abusive]], might have trouble keeping a legal job, and will most likely be more interested in the physical (read: ''[[AllMenArePerverts sexual]]'') aspect of a relationship than anything else. [[YourCheatingHeart He's probably not going to be all that concerned with fidelity, either]]. [[SarcasmMode So what if he can't be trusted?]] It's an honor for girls in media to be chosen by him, to walk into prom night with him on her arm, to ride on the back of his motorcycle with her arms around his waist, to stick her tongue out at the AlphaBitch from the passenger's seat of his stolen convertible.

** Years later, Wrestling/{{Lita}} would leave Kane for Wrestling/{{Edge}}. This mirrored her {{real life|WritesThePlot}} [[YourCheatingHeart actions]] with Wrestling/MattHardy. This is at times gender-flipped, since alot of the male wrestlers seem to be interested in her.

Related to ICanChangeMyBeloved, which often follows after this. The fandom reaction version of this is DracoInLeatherPants. In high school settings, often found alongside AllGuysWantCheerleaders (its [[DistaffCounterpart Spear Counterpart]]). A male SexierAlterEgo will probably be one of these. When the bad boy is ''literally'' a monster, see YouSexyBeast. Contrast {{Adorkable}} and WeaknessTurnsHerOn, where more timid, sweet, and "uncool" characters are seen as attractive. If the bad boy plays guitar, this will usually overlap with ArtistsAreAttractive.

* Gender-Flipped in ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}''. The titular hero is sweet, innocent, {{Adorkable}}, and head over heels for the sexy, sarcastic, jaded {{Anti Villain}}ess Megara. The feeling turns out to be quite mutual, and LoveRedeems in its classic form kicks in. Definitely something different, especially for a Disney movie.

* Creator/JeffFoxworthy mocked and deconstructed this trope at the same time. He said that when women say they want a "dangerous" guy, they're usually thinking of some Franchise/JamesBond-type of dude, but if a woman ''did'' end up with a "dangerous" man, then the likeliest outcome would have them on an episode of ''Cops'' with her hanging out of the trailer in a tube top, screaming ''"Lock his ass up!"''

* The ''Theatre/{{Mrs Hawking}}'' play series: {{Subverted|Trope}} with Arthur the policeman. He's just about the sweetest, most straightforward guy you could imagine, and he's presented as a romantic and attractive figure [[spoiler:for lead character Mary]].
** {{Zigzagged|Trope}} with Clara, who briefly dated the roguish playboy Justin Hawking before settling down with his more gentlemanly little brother Nathaniel.
* ''Theatre/{{Elisabeth}}'': As far as bad boys go, it doesn't get worse than [[spoiler: killing two of your children and saying point blank that he will own you in the end]]. In fact, it's after he did it the second time that Elisabeth breaks and begs Death to take her. The German tour and Raimund Theater revival amped it up by giving Death the HellBentForLeather trope. [[note]]Which was a version of ActorInspiredElement, as the androgynous costume used for previous Deaths does not look flattering on ultra-masculine Mark Seibert. Takarazuka productions also took note of this sartorial change.[[/note]]

* This is a common plot on hundreds of stories on Website/{{Wattpad}}, however, opinions are divided across the internet on whether the so-called "bad boys" the teen girl audience are swooning over are actual bad boys (brooding, tortured {{loveable rogue}}s) or sociopaths wearing a bad boy disguise, who aren't against kidnapping and emotionally-abusing their girlfriends or beating people to death. It's so popular, typing "saved by the bad boy" or "the bad boy that saved me" into the website's search engine will lead to tons of books under those titles.

* [[http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1945481 This]] parody from ''Website/CollegeHumor'', showing what [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Zelda]] and [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Princess Peach]] discuss when the heroes aren't around. And again in [[http://www.collegehumor.com/video/5664104/adam-and-eve-in-the-friend-zone this]] video with Adam, Eve, and the Snake.

* Veronica of ''WebVideo/TheVeronicaExclusive'' wants bad ''girls'', specifically, Jane. This is {{Deconstructed}} when Jane turns out to be less of a deep, mysterious loner and more of a vindictive, psychotic SerialKiller. At the end, Veronica outright states that everything she found attractive about Jane at first turned out to be a far harsher, more dangerous quality once you scratched the surface.

All this, of course, tends to gloss over the fact that [[ShapedLikeItself bad boys are]] ''bad'', meaning criminally inclined, [[{{Jerkass}} self-centered]], [[SanityHasAdvantages probably not too mentally stable]], potentially abusive, might have trouble keeping a legal job, and will most likely be more interested in the physical (read: ''[[AllMenArePerverts sexual]]'') aspect of a relationship than anything else. [[YourCheatingHeart He's probably not going to be all that concerned with fidelity, either]]. [[SarcasmMode So what if he can't be trusted?]] It's an honor for girls in media to be chosen by him, to walk into prom night with him on her arm, to ride on the back of his motorcycle with her arms around his waist, to stick her tongue out at the AlphaBitch from the passenger's seat of his stolen convertible.

!!Examples:

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys/ProfessionalWrestling
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys/{{Theatre}}

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys/{{Webcomics}}
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys/WebOriginal

[[folder:Mythology]]

[[folder:Stand Up Comedy]]
* Creator/JeffFoxworthy mocked and deconstructed this trope at the same time. He said that when women say they want a "dangerous" guy, they're usually thinking of some Franchise/JamesBond-type of dude, but if a woman ''did'' end up with a "dangerous" man, then the likeliest outcome would have them on an episode of ''Cops'' with her hanging out of the trailer in a tube top, screaming ''"Lock his ass up!"''
* Creator/BillHicks has a routine about this trope in which the "bad boy" is Satan and the woman believes ICanChangeMyBeloved. He has also recorded a song about it: "Chicks Dig Jerks". Both have a decidedly bitter tone.
* Russell Kane calls it "Attracted to Bastard disease" after noticing the trope (becoming a cliche) on every reality dating TV show he's ever seen and is worried that it's seeping into real life (since he has a daughter), what with men in their twenties throughout the 2010s becoming arrogant and vain over getting a HeroicBuild.
* Glen Foster, aka "That Canadian Guy", says that someone once told him that girls may be attracted to bad boys initially, but they don't ''stay'' with the bad boys. Glen [[ComicallyMissingThePoint interprets this as a double benefit]].

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* Toyed with in ''VisualNovel/CrescendoEienDatoOmotteItaAnoKoro''. Ryo, the main character, is a gruff guy with a bad reputation and a troubled past who sleeps through school enough to put his graduation in jeopardy. However, the girls like him... because [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold he's a kind-hearted guy who stands by them when they need support]], not the fact that he can beat up 3 guys at once.
* ''VisualNovel/DreamDaddy'': Deconstructed. The player can try to start a relationship with the local Bad Dad Robert, [[spoiler:but in the Good Ending, Robert will admit that he isn't in a good place, emotionally or psychologically and wants to focus on rebuilding the bridge between himself and his daughter, asking the player to give him time to fix himself up so they can start an actually healthy relationship in the future and staying JustFriends until there]].
* ''VisualNovel/MonsterProm'': Among the dateable characters, Damien is actively described as a bad boy, he is a demon and an arsonist that loves to cause mayhem and destruction.
* ''VisualNovel/YoJinBo'' has [[BloodKnight Tatsunami Ittosai]] as one of your possible options. He actually [[spoiler:betrays the heroine to the villains, becoming TheMole for a substantial section of the game]], but can be [[LoveRedeems redeemed]] courtesy of the PowerOfTrust, and has some of the most emotional endings in the game.
* ''VisualNovel/DiabolikLovers'' is all about a girl who is abused by a group of {{Bishonen}} vampire brothers. One of them even calls her 'Bitch-chan'. It's intended to be fanservice for girls who do want bad boys.
* Subverted in ''VisualNovel/ShallWeDateNinjaShadow'': two of [[PlayerCharacter Saori's]] potential love interests (Toru [[spoiler: Nakagawa]] and Tsubaki Kusunoki) fit very well as bad boys in one way or another... but Saori, who tends to swear by the "SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan" principle, will ''only'' start looking their way when they [[PetTheDog show her their gentler, kinder sides]]. i.e., in [[spoiler: Toru's younger brother Makoto]]'s route, Saori will be repulsed by the "bad boy" Toru's VillainousCrush on her and remain firmly in love with [[spoiler: Makoto]]... but Toru's own route will start with him showing his AntiVillain chops right from the beginning [[RescueRomance and rescuing her at least twice from tight situations]].
* In ''VisualNovel/IkemenSengoku'', several of the main character's potential love interests fit this trope, especially Nobunaga Oda who's known as the "Devil King of the Sixth Heaven" and Masamune Date who's wild, flirtatious, and more than a little dangerous. The main character even explicitly notes this trope on Masamune's route with her thoughts on how "I had become the princess in love with a bad boy, and I had no regrets."

* In Myth/ClassicalMythology, Aphrodite's passionate (and lasting) affair with the dangerous, bloodthirsty war-god Ares makes this trope OlderThanFeudalism. The fact that her husband Hephaestus was [[TheGrotesque deformed and disabled]] and the marriage wasn't even her idea didn't help matters.

The "bad boy" targets the strongest womanly instincts: [[TheQuietOne the stoic, silent guy]] is a mystery waiting to be solved; the TroubledButCute youth with a [[DarkAndTroubledPast tragic past]] is a {{woobie}} needing comfort; he's tough enough to be a girl's [[BodyguardCrush protector]], but vulnerable enough to [[LoveRedeems need her]] as well. Add to that the fact that EvilIsCool, the AntiHero ranks as Bachelor of the Month.

All this, of course, tends to gloss over the fact that [[ShapedLikeItself bad boys are]] ''bad'', meaning criminally inclined, [[{{Jerkass}} self-centered]], [[SanityHasAdvantages probably not too mentally stable]], potentially abusive, might have trouble keeping a legal job, and will most likely be more interested in the physical (read: ''[[AllMenArePerverts sexual]]'') aspect of a relationship than anything else. [[YourCheatingHeart He's also probably not going to be that concerned with fidelity, either]]. [[SarcasmMode So what if he can't be trusted?]] It's an honor for girls in media to be chosen by him, to walk into prom night with him on her arm, to ride on the back of his motorcycle with her arms around his waist, to stick her tongue out at the AlphaBitch from the passenger's seat of his stolen convertible.

Depending on the nature of the Bad Boy and whether he's redeemable or not, use of this trope may cause the viewer to question the character's sense or intelligence, particularly if it's immediately obvious to everyone from the outset of the relationship that the man is a thoroughly nasty piece of work. Don't count on ReformedRakes if the ''bad boy'' is a OneShotCharacter. If the ''bad boy'' and or the ''girl'' are unimportant characters, they have a tendency to be {{Straw Character}}s.

This portrayal can sometimes be the product of EntitledToHaveYou, StandardHeroReward or NiceGuysFinishLast on the part of good guy we're supposed to root for or the audience or the {{author|Appeal}}. This bad boy is made to be a {{foil}} and show how "undesirable" the other options are. This can backfire if there are [[PeripheryDemographic female audience]] members who have something else in mind. Ironically, their FixFic is likely to 1) [[DracoInLeatherPants make the bad boy look better]] and 2) [[RonTheDeathEater make the nice guy look worse]].

Sometimes the badness is an InformedAttribute, such as with the LovableRogue. It all depends on what the author wants to use this trope for. It's entirely possible for someone to [[FaceOfAThug look like]] a ''bad boy'' but not fit the above description. Sometimes a supposed ''bad boy'' who really isn't has to deal with the advances of a hyperactive FanGirl [[NoGuyWantsToBeChased who doesn't know when to cut it out]] resulting in comedy at [[TheComicallySerious the "bad boy's" expense]].

Interestingly, younger women are often portrayed as prone to this trope, while older, more mature, and wiser women (meaning 35 and older) seem much less receptive to "bad boy" vibes (maybe they learnt their lesson through painful experience or are simply mature enough to know better), although there are always exceptions (especially bored housewifes with marital issues). Can be portrayed as being either savvy or if the ''bad boy'' falls into the ''not really a bad boy'' category (especially if he is a main character) as a [[IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer overly protective but well meaning mother figure]] for the girl.

See SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan for a typical inversion. A popular subversion is to make the guy ''look'' like a bad guy but revealing himself as a JerkWithAHeartOfGold with little to no criminal record.

Related to ICanChangeMyBeloved, which often follows after this. The fandom reaction version of this is DracoInLeatherPants. In high school settings often found alongside AllGuysWantCheerleaders (its [[DistaffCounterpart Spear Counterpart]]). A male SexierAlterEgo will probably be one of these. When the bad boy is ''literally'' a monster, see YouSexyBeast. Contrast {{Adorkable}} and WeaknessTurnsHerOn, where more timid, sweet, and "uncool" characters are seen as attractive. If the bad boy plays guitar, this will usually overlap with ArtistsAreAttractive.

* Brought up in song in ''Disney/LadyAndTheTramp'':

* Gender-Flipped in ''Disney/{{Hercules}}''. The titular hero is sweet, innocent, {{Adorkable}}, and head over heels for the sexy, sarcastic, jaded {{Anti Villain}}ess Megara. The feeling turns out to be quite mutual, and LoveRedeems in its classic form kicks in. Definitely something different, especially for a Disney movie.
* ''Disney/TheSwordInTheStone'': The cheerful red haired girl squirrel was already in love with Arthur/Wart in squirrel form [[LoveAtFirstSight the moment she laid eyes on him]]. When she wraps her tail around him and kisses him on the lips three times, he wipes his mouth, throws her tail over her head and pushes her. She chirps in an excited, flirtatious way suggesting this trope.

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys/WebComics

[[folder:EasternAnimation]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]

[[folder: Visual Novels]]

Related to ICanChangeMyBeloved, which often follows after this. The fandom reaction version of this is DracoInLeatherPants. In high school settings often found alongside AllGuysWantCheerleaders (its [[DistaffCounterpart Spear Counterpart]]). A male SexierAlterEgo will probably be one of these. When the bad boy is ''literally'' a monster, see YouSexyBeast. Contrast {{Adorkable}} and WeaknessTurnsHerOn, where more timid, sweet, and "uncool" characters are seen as attractive.