Bad boys are supposedly more fun (really?) on the surface but they’re notorious for escaping every kind of commitment. These people are often narcissists who are not fully emotionally developed. Blogger Susannah Perez breaks down the profiles and perils of being a “villain’s girl.”

[dropcap]M[/dropcap]y name is Susannah and these are my bad boy confessions!

*Hi Susannah!*

We may spend our days cursing them and nights crying in the pillow, but once some of us have laid our eyes on a bad guy, there’s no turning back. Not until our heart has been broken at least a zillion times or someone “worse” has crossed our path. Is there even a third scenario? Well, yes, if you have what it takes to set them into the nice’n’fluffy mode, or have a few other tricks under your belt that will make him stick by your side.

 I wanted to take a look at the various villain archetypes to understand further my, ahem, issue.

Case Study 1: The Bad Boy Redeemer.

While it’s certainly a cliché from most young adult books and teenage dramas, the scenario where bad boys fall for the good girls isn’t uncommon at all. While he might be deterred by your exquisite moral purity, he’d also see it as a challenge. The difficult part is, he might lose interest as soon as he senses it can be compromised and, well, isn’t falling for a bad guy the sign of surrender?

Also, even if he sees you as his personal redeemer, you should never act like one, if we believe in the good old maxim that we cannot (and shouldn’t) change another person. Even if he appears to be headed straight to hell, nagging or begging him to change his ways won’t work. Your only chance of saving him is by him falling for you – though make sure he caves before you do!

On TV & Film: Landon Carter and Jamie Sullivan(A Walk to Remember), Sebastian Valmont and Annette Hargrove (Cruel Intentions), Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert (The Vampire Diaries).

beast

Case Study 2: Bad Boy + Bad Girl = Partners in Crime.

Good girls go to heaven; bad girls go everywhere – as the old proverb goes. If you live by this principle, chances are you could score with a bad guy, as long as you can be as badass (if not more) than him. How so? First, they certainly admire your confidence and, perhaps, some traits he secretly wishes he possessed too.

The world is an exciting place for you and, since you’d never be preoccupied cooking and cleaning for him, you’ve got plenty of time on your hands to make yourself look fabulous.

The downside of this relationship is that it is unlikely to last. Not because you’ll get caught and locked up in two different prison cells (or one, if one of you gets killed by a stray bullet) but if it’s just a common evil atrocity holding your relationship together –well, his feelings will eventually wear off. Even badness can get boring.

  • On TV & Film: Bonnie and Clyde, Mickey and Mallory Knox(Natural Born Killers), Beatrix and Bill (Kill Bill)

Case Study 3: Bad Boy + Trophy Girl.

Think of any of your childhood stories about a monster kidnapping a pretty princess and locking her up in a dungeon or a tower – just like a war trophy. A kind heart and winning personality mean nothing when her captor’s too busy mounting interior wall lighting to make sure she looks best in her cellar. If it wasn’t for her looks or the fact that she was meant for someone else, he probably wouldn’t even take a second glance.

While it may not exactly be your dream relationship, it’s another way of living in close proximity with your beloved villain – as long as you don’t mind never seeing the light of day again… On second thoughts, next time you see him, stash a pair of bolt cutters down your jeans, just in case.

  • On TV & Film: Mina Harker and Dracula (Dracula by Bram Stoker), Eowyn and Wormtongue (Lord of the Rings), Caledon Hockley and Rose Dewitt Bukater (Titanic).

Would you go to these lengths to win the love of your devilish sweetheart? 

Susannah Perez is a blogger and a hopeless romantic who’d spend the long winter nights watching one chick flick after another. She blogs for Luma Lighting.

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