How do you feel about the "pure good girl x bad f-boy" trope?

  • One made-up example of the trope:


    Agnes is an innocent and pure girl, who has never even held hands with a guy.

    She always wears white clothes, which makes her look like an angel.


    Blake is the opposite.

    He is a bad boy with a lot of tattoos and rides a motorcycle.

    He is also a player, who has a lot of ex-girlfriends.


    One day, the two of them meet.

    She is intimidated by his tattoos and motorcycle.

    Meanwhile his heart flutters because of her angelic appearance.


    Much much later in this story, Agnes and Blake start dating.

    Blake becomes the first guy that she has ever held hands with.

    While Agnes has turned him into a good guy, who is no longer a player.




    Okay, that example that I just came up with, sounds pretty innocent.

    Or maybe more like that trope that is like "Guy, who is a player, falls in love with a girl and stops being a player"


    But well... women are often expected to be innocent and pure.

    I also personally feel that this is what people expect of me. (and to quote Britney Spears, I'm not that innocent)

    And I'm sure that some people find it infantilizing to have that sort of expectation of a grown woman.


    I have written fanfics and stories that are kinda like this.

    Maybe because I kinda can relate to those innocent and pure female characters.


    And yes, seems like, most of the times, it is the female character, who is the pure one.

    The only examples, where it is the opposite ("pure guy x not-so-pure girl"), that I can think of, is a Danish comic book I read this year, and then also that one short story that I wanted to write, where a guy has a crush on a girl and wants a pure romantic relationship, but she doesn't. (in that short story, they don't end up together)


    Apparently, I have heard that people, who "have experience" would rather date another person, who "has experience", than date a virgin.


    And then there is the "bad boy x good girl" trope, that seems to make women go "I can fix him".


    But one reason why these tropes exist is because of the saying "opposites attract" and it is more interesting to have two characters, who are different from one another, fall in love than having these two characters be too similar.



    Oh boy, this thread turned into an essay.

    :meme-i-aint-reading-all-that:

  • I like to read and write (though I am not as consistent with writing as I'd like to be). I hate hate HATE romantasy (romance + fantasy) and I am not privy to romance. I like romantic subplots, so long as there is a whole overarching plot outside of the romance. So I can't really speak much on this topic.


    At the end of the day, I'd want you to write what makes you happy!


    Apparently, I have heard that people, who "have experience" would rather date another person, who "has experience", than date a virgin.

    This is true for me and one of my best friends, so I can personally attest to this. But not everyone is the same! It's also not necessarily about the sexual aspect, but just being with someone who has experience dating in general. Has gone through heartbreak, has practice communicating with a partner, and stuff like that.

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