The other day, I decided to take on The Manic Pixie Dream Girl, but it got me thinking; what about us girls? Don't we have ridiculous expectations from our cinematic boy-toys? Of course we do, and that's why today's installment is all about the Soulful Bad Boy (or SBB). So what is an SBB? Well, the SBB is the guy who won't win any congeniality awards, but damn if his tortured and deep emotional side isn't enough to make you put up with just about anything (it helps if you think Wes Bentley in American Beauty, or Robert Pattinson in Twilight). Everywhere you look, these beautiful male specimens are emoting all over the place; I mean, you know you have reached a new level of 'sensitivity porn' when even Bond and Batman are getting misty-eyed.
But this isn't just about sensitivity; otherwise the Lloyd Doblers of the film world would be king. Because as much as we girls might like a sensitive guy, we like them more if they have a little 'edge'. If you don't believe me, take a look at some of the arguments out there on the web about the character of Edward in Twilight. You'll find equal amounts of people labeling him as an abusive boyfriend as their knight in shining armor, but what is that makes an SBB any different from your average villain? Well, to be blunt, the difference is probably that a Soulful Bad Boy is hot, and I mean like weak-kneed hot. So for anyone who wants to pretend that us gals can't be just as shallow as our male counterparts, I challenge you to explain to me why it just so happens that every SBB that has ever made the movie crush list is simply put, gorgeous. Seriously, when was the last time anyone said "you know that Joe Pesci? Well, in Goodfellas when he shot Spider in the foot? Ooh girl!"...not likely
Cont''d So how did we find ourselves in this mess? Well, unfortunately if you want to point the finger, you are going to have to blame The Bronte Sisters. Believe me when I say that if it weren't for Heathcliffe and Mr. Rochester, the SBB would never have become an enduring romantic icon. Those characters may have been created over 200 years ago, but we have never looked back; and if you take a quick glance through film history, every decade has 'emotional hotties' at the top of every girl's list. But, here is the scary part; what exactly does it say about us that we like a little abuse in our fantasy men? Why is it that women, me included, always go for the tortured type who's standing us up while he's off filming a plastic bag for two hours?
So tell me what you think; is the Soulful Bad Boy just another harmless movie myth? Or should we start to look at our fantasies a little closer, and maybe we can figure out why our realities are so messed up.