During my sophomore year of high school, my English class read Wuthering Heights. My fabulously sassy English teacher, Ms. Larson, in an effort to explain the plotline, compared Catherine’s attraction to Heathcliff to our attraction to bad boys. According to Ms. Larson, our attraction to bad boys stems from the belief that we can change them. Not only is the bad boy attraction all over TV and movies, but it also holds absolutely true to many real life relationships.
Elite Daily recently published an article titled, “Science Explains Why Women are Attracted to Narcissistic Assh*les,” and according to a British university study, women found narcissistic men most attractive. Despite past relationships and past relationship results, women continue to not only fall into these patterns, but actually find narcissistic men even more attractive the more relationships they are part of.
The more I think about the results of this study, the more it seems to hold true. Maybe it’s my female bias, but think about how often we talk about “jerk boyfriends” but always seem to go back to them? Or how many times have you found yourself, or a friend, in a pattern of dating jerks? I firmly believe that the idea of the Hollywood fairytale ending comes into play. Who doesn’t love the idea of an uncommitted bad boy becoming the most romantic, and caring boyfriend? I know I am fully behind that scenario. We grew up in the era of Disney princesses, angsty 90s teenage movies, Jennifer Aniston rom-coms and Chuck Bass. All things considered, it’s a wonder how we don’t wake up in the morning expecting singing birds to come through our window and help us with our morning outfit. It’s safe to say most of us have fallen victim to the effects of Hollywood romance.
Perhaps, instead of perpetuating this bad boy ideal, in 2015 we should have the nice-boy revolution! Instead of filling our repertoire with bad boys, let’s take the good guys out of the friend-zone because we definitely deserve better.