BAD BOYS
Why are women wild about them?
A fan of The Young and the Restless, I’ve bought the occasional copy of CBS Soaps magazine, hoping to get the latest dirt on a show that has been a hidden addiction of mine for more than twenty years. However, it wasn’t until recently, spurred on by a plotline I was dead against, that I went to the forums and broadcasted my opinion.
About two years ago, the writers of the show penned a romantic alliance between Sharon and Adam, two extremely unlikely lovers. For anyone who doesn’t follow the plot, Sharon is a lovely blonde who is always painted as perfect, a woman all the men in her life, and some no longer in her life, want to protect and adore. Adam is her ex-husband’s evil brother and has caused murder and mayhem in everyone’s lives, including Sharon’s. Despite his history, she falls in love with him, marries him, divorces him, and then goes back to him later and becomes his fiancé.
My post regarding this duo, expressed my unhappiness with the writers breaking the pair up once again. To me, far-fetched romantic liaisons are the most interesting. Like the rest of us writers, however, these writers of our "stories," work to keep the conflict flowing. Quite a debate ensued. What struck me about it, is that many fans of the show agreed with me, making me start thinking about the susceptibility of us women to the bad boys we run across in our lives.
Did this syndrome start with James Dean? Or can we trace it back much further in history?
Not being a history maven, I’m not going to take this blog in that direction. I'll leave that to you to dwell on. Instead, what is it about the bad boy that is so darn attractive?
My opinion? It is the drama factor. Like watching soaps, reading romance novels, and going to the movies, these men bring a touch (and then some!) of drama and excitement into our lives. It wasn’t until I was in my thirties that I got over being drawn to them and was finally able to develop a relationship that was more of a two-way street, unlike the kind you’d ever find with a bad boy.
Yes, I married a man who was very good to me. We divorced six years later. What happened, you ask, if he was such a good husband? The answer to that will have to be addressed in a separate blog. Next topic – What about the men that we know are the “Just-Not-Rights” but stay with anyway?
Thanks for reading, anonymous. Funny how an otherwise intelligent woman becomes overwhelmed by her emotions when she falls in love. Common sense takes a back seat.
ReplyDeleteI don't write romance novels, but my female protagonists are based on real women who suffer through this same kind of angst over men. Like their creator, they have to go through a lot of frogs to find the prince!