It may seem like a stupid question, but as a homeschooled student, I never went to a public high school. In my story, I have my main character, who is a good student -- very courteous and polite, as well as smart -- who is starting at an artsy boarding school. There's a whole kind of complicated plot to go along with it, (which is dark and probably verges on the suspense/horror genre), but a lot of the story hinges on the girl's relationship with one of her classmates; a boy. Well, actually, two of them. One is intelligent yet morbid, rather random, scheming, and likes making people squirm. The other is a little rough around the edges. He's blunt, sweras a lot, and seemingly doesn't have too many morals. They're brothers, and they're both a little strange in some regards (they have their reasons) -- suffice it to say, she wouldn't bring either of them home to meet her parents, ever.
My question is this: What is it that makes otherwise 'good' girls attracted to 'bad' boys?
I'm attempting to not make it cliche, because there won't be any actual romance in the story, (I think, as of yet), but anyway. . . I know there isn't a definite answer to the question, but I was hoping that any female non-juvenile-delinquents could pitch in and perhaps help me out here.
Any and all responses are welcome. (And encouraged! I'm really in need of help here!) So, thanks in advance.
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I believe in the creepiness of humanity.
50,020 / 50,000
Mar 6, 2008 - 18 22
I personally think it's the forbidden, exciting and dangerous aspect that attracts us good girls. There's something about the way the boy acts that just tells you he's bad news, and strangely that's attractive. Not all the time, especially if he's just a nasty person, but the whole danger aspect is quite sexy.
50,576 / 50,000
Mar 7, 2008 - 04 42
I know a "bad guy", and I am really attracted to him. And while I'm not a really good girl, I'm not bad either. I think it's just the danger aspect that attracts us, because the guys are a bit on edge and risky and more fun to be with. :) Bad guys all the way, for me!
50,498 / 50,000
Mar 7, 2008 - 08 21
Well for me...I am smart and get the best grades in the class, but that is my school life. Which is totally different from my home life (which nobody really suspects at school, :P). I'd say that I like bad boys if only for the change. Alot of the time, the good girl gets so lost in the funk of doing perfect things that everybody wants all of her life that she gets desperate for a change. Everything else is perfect in her life, so why should she have to have a perfect boyfriend. Guys are the ones that introduce us to alot of the world and maybe the good girl wants a little bit of a different perspective on the whole thing.
But even if you have not really been in a situation that you could see for yourself, haven't you ever watched movies with those sort of guys in them? For instance, Blood Diamond with Leo Decaprio? If you haven't, I will tell you that he's a soldier turned diamond mercenary living in South Africa during a civil war. In the movie he quotes, "So one day I just said f*** it. I'm gonna get mine." He works for himself and doens't love, doesn't swear allegiance to anyone, anything to get him out of Africa. Of course, there are things that moved him there in the first place, that his parents were brutally killed and he was made into a soldier. But at the same time, he is awesome! He makes being a mercenary seem romantic.
50,198 / 50,000
Mar 8, 2008 - 11 42
I think bad boys are attracted to good girls. I think they view us as "naive." And this gives them the feeling that they can lead us around by a hook in our noses. And be macho men. They want nothing more than a passive woman they can trot about. I think we are attracted to them because they are first attracted to us and we are flattered by the attention. And, if we are honest, we ARE naive. We like their attention so we get hooked into their badness. I think the reverse is true for nice guys as well. They generally end up being whipped around by bad girls because, being nice and shy, they are flattered by some bad girl who has the guts to flirt with them. My experience as an older woman is that I am wary of any guy who is attracted to me now because I discovered that, if he is attracted to me, he is probably a bad guy even if he seems nice to me in the beginning. This is practically a soapbox for me now.
On the other hand, who could resist Leonardo diCaprio whether he is good or bad?
4,243 / 50,000
Mar 13, 2008 - 07 07
Ooh. . . all very interesting responses; thanks very much. (I'm vaguely aware of Leonardo Dicaprio [sp?] but I think I understand what you mean. . .)
50,043 / 50,000
Mar 31, 2008 - 18 03
I think a lot of time good girls are attrached to bad boys because of a deep unconscious idea that they need to be punished.
21,076 / 50,000
Abr 2, 2008 - 19 33
As a slightly bipolar girl who can attract bad boys but has also hurt a few good guys on the way, here's my take on it -
Good guys/girls are generally so wound up and stressed because what makes them good (generally) is an intense desire to be perfect and impress everyone. Now, while some good girls just want to be successful, that's fine too, but most good girls/guys spend their time working really hard on SOMETHING. So, when they find that bad boy/girl with that devil-may-care attitude, it kind of sets them free. People act differently when surrounded by different people.
I love this slacker guy. He's not really a bad boy - he's actually pretty sweet and responsible - but he's got such a "whatever" attitude towards life that it's nice.
There's another set of good guys/girls, the people who are just generally nice and sensitive. Those are the naive romantics who think that there's something good in everyone and those sweet fairytales where the guy gets the girl can actually have them. So, those "good" people, they see said "devil may care"-attitude-toting bad person and think it's romantic because you know that when a bad boy hangs out with a good girl they end up mellowing each other out, right?
That's what one of the good guys I know - who I might or might not have led on to believe I was interested in (I wasn't) - was like.
Now, I'm not really a "bad girl". I'm just cynical, bitter, and like to have actual FUN.
The reason I might go after a good guy (given that he's not one of those romantic types) is that he'd be easier to pull around. I'm not generally the manipulative type, but when I get in the mood I'll flirt with random guys just to see what they do. It's kind of like a prank call except you actually have to deal with some guy bugging you later on about it.
1,706 / 50,000
Abr 5, 2008 - 08 58
Bad boys are more fun and have better stories to tell - good boys are just too boring. And for YA girls mature faster than boys do so girls are more attracted to the bad boys as they acy older than thier good counterparts (does that make any sense?)/
4,243 / 50,000
Abr 13, 2008 - 20 25
Ah, more interesting insights.
Thanks very much for taking the time to respond, everyone! You've really helped me out!