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Author: HeartOfAnAstronaut

Nov 1st 2012 at 3:01:13 AM

AllGirlsWantBadBoys is confusing (for this index) because it covers so many layers of "badness" from Will Smith in TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir to Spike from Buffy.

I think the OP was trying to reference the idea that a woman is supposed to go for a certain kind of hero who channels his aggression towards achievement, protection, survival or a career. He's physically tough in the sense that he's athletic, but he's CONSTRUCTIVELY tough, whereas the "Bad Boy" is DESTRUCTIVELY tough. What makes him bad is that he might turn his anger against authority (whereas an ideal man should use his aggression to become authoriative) or against the girl who wants him (the ideal man should protect her). The bad boy is unpredictable and unreliable and is motivated by emotion rather than logic. He might be acting out because he's vulnerable (e.g. traumatised by the death of a friend or relative), whereas a conventional hero is confident in himself.

Also, some stories will purposely set up a BettyAndVeronicaLoveTriangle where a girl has to choose between a "bad boy" who mistreats her or acts out, and a man who is more of a straight up hero. In other situations, the bad boy has to be reformed before they can have a real relationship. For example, Buffy could only have a real relationship with Spike after he [[spoiler: got a soul]]. On The Fresh Prince, Will often has to show the kindness behind his bad boy posturing in order to get girls to trust him.