The Mystique of the Bad Boy (And Why Women Fall for Them)

Soc and I talk about a lot of things and somehow, we always end up talking about other people’s relationships (because we’re nosy like that) and how they’re so extreme in the sense that they’re either very good or very bad. So, of course, we would touch on the subject of boys just because we’re also so shallow. However, I don’t think we’ve ever discussed types of boys that usually appear in girls’ conversations.

The only thing I think that will forever be relevant in discussions is the bad boy. You know, the real bad boy — the broody guy with an intense stare and bad clothes that magically look good on them – not the douchebags, they will always be just douchebags. Anyway, no matter what Soc might think, I still stand by my belief that bad boys are magical. I mean, they’re just standing there brooding about their (probably) miserable lives and girls flock to throw their panties at them. It’s like people in a rock band, or any band for that matter (except for school bands, unless you live in Asia where there is a certain sexiness in playing the clarinet or something).

Case in point.

And, I think I have to stress that these brooding bad boys are not the emo broodsters that the 2000s unintentionally bred. Though, I don’t know how to explain the case of Jordan Catalano turning into manliner Jared Leto.

Damn you, evolution!

It’s not that I like bad boys, instead, I think I am fascinated by them. I mean, who wouldn’t really?

In TV dramas:

You know this, it’s that annoying (but insanely lovable) cold lead character that does nothing but abuse the female lead for the first episodes then transforms into this softie but toughie in the next. Yes, I’m talking to you, Chuck Bass.

Isn’t he just incredibly sexy?

While all that is good and most probably an integral part of the story, when you put it in a real-life context it doesn’t make sense, and there will be the perfect second lead that will always be taken for granted. You know what I mean, Asian drama viewers, you. But such is life that the dramas reflect and there will also be that one guy girls tend to overlook.

Bad example, I know, but you get my point. Jacob was perfect for Edwar-- I mean, Bella.

In movies:

I think it all boils down to the hero-needs-a-hero-saving thing. We’ve all seen it before, from superhero movies to sappy chick flicks to serious dramas – a good hero is also a hero that needs saving.

I’m gruff and buff, but I am also a stuffed bunny inside.

In music:

It’s that breed that pens Vindicated, Breakeven, and other songs that say I am not really cold on the outside  ̶  I just need somebody to break down my walls. We all have to admit it, I think, that there is something terribly attractive about a guy pretending to be cold so his fluffy heart won’t be broken.

They had a song called Always. Talk about cheesy.

So yeah, let Soc do the personality analysis. I’m bad at wrapping up things, I can’t string words the way I want them to omelette--

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The eternal question: why do women fall for the "bad boys?" I have to be honest, I'm one of those who think this behavior is ridiculous as I don't believe that all relationships should go through all that trouble, just like in the movies. That's why they are called movies and this—reality. Still, there'd been numerous times, that I'd find myself especially attracted to this type—a guy who has a knack in hurting women, whether or not intentionally, has hang-ups, has a dark side, and has personal issues against world and his life.



So, why? Is it really inevitable and will women be able to successfully avoid the lure of the mystery that envelopes the persona of such bad boys? I’ve come up with several traits that best describe these “bad boys” and let’s try to figure out just how hopeless our cases are against this weakness.

Mysterious
I don’t know about you, but that’s the very first thing that comes to mind when I think about these “bad boys.” The truth is, just like any human being, we’d like ourselves to be entertained and more and more women, and I mean the complex ones, are getting bored more easily these days, so as to seek partners whom they’d only keep if they add spice and color to their lives as single ladies. From a modest standpoint, bad boys always give you a certain look that gives away nothing but a small hint of what they truly are. It’s not that they are pretending, it’s more like they are holding back and we revel at the thought of being able to find out the hidden truth.  

A shirtless Stephan Schrock makes an appearance. OMG.

(Cr. go-azkals-go.tumblr.com. You just made Soc's year.)

Stubborn

Bad boys, naturally, like to argue. They like confrontations. They want to pick up a fight, because they want to get their own way. They don’t like to follow other people’s instructions and they don’t want to get bullied around, as it should be the other way around. For example: football player Stephan Schrock of the Azkals. Remember that 2nd leg against Sri Lanka, that part when he bumped heads with a Sri Lankan player and eventually got a yellow card in the process? While I already liked him in his debut game in the first leg, he gained popularity (especially with the girls) at that particular heated moment on the pitch because it was just damn intense! Who wouldn’t want to try to discipline him?! Give me twenty chin ups, topless, you, rebel, you! 

Passionate

As a follow up on the stubbornness of bad boys, it’s also expected that they are full of emotions. Just as they could easily flare up during confrontation would translate to the feelings they could apply in pleasing their own woman. This assessment sounds shady but I don't care, but it does make a point, right? (HUH?)

 
Masculine
Again, please refer to the one above. Ruled by T-hormones, bad boys often resort to either physical violence or rational thinking, thus, silence. Physical violence means the intention to maintain physical robustness. Also, since the Stone Age, women have been attracted to the opposite sex's, well, "oppositeness." Because most women wouldn’t want to marry 
someone who talks just as much as they do.

I'm badass and I also have a pink bar of soap.

Anti-heroic
In our eyes, bad boys = the unlikely protagonists. Think Tyler Durden in Fight Club, Tony Montana in Scarface, Mad Max, Wolverine and Batman. To cut things short, they have an excuse for being assholes. Them being problematic individuals makes them more human, I suppose—more relatable to. And hopeful (and foolish) as we are, we try to find the good in people who do horrible things, like cheating on their girlfriend or wife and all the douchebaggery. We try to change them. The thing about antiheroes is that it’s most likely to only exist in fantasy. That’s exactly why it came before the “heroes” and “villains” or the “good” and “evil” pair up. There’s really no gray area and that is why Jean still picked Scott over Logan. Oh wait, what am I saying, the X-Men is fantasy.
 

I have a second appearance on this post, I'm that badass.

So, yeah. Is there a point to this? I’m not sure. What I am sure of is that women, like any other human being, often seek for some adventure in their lives. I do think our being completely enamored by these bad boys can be avoided given all the red flags that will go up. it’s just that we choose not to.