The recent story about Nigella Lawson got me thinking. The
papers said Nigella looked upset – but evidently not angry. She should have been very angry. He may have had his hands round her throat,
but she still had a knee free to use. And if she was upset, how much of her
distress was caused by nearly being strangled and how much was due to the
incident happening in public?
So what do women want?
James Bond doesn’t treat his women particularly well, and
neither do Daniel Craig. Or Shaun Connery for that matter. Nora Roberts’ hero,
Rouke, was a thief and a murderer in his early life, but he is so incredibly
gorgeous we can forgive him almost anything. Superman treats Lois Lane badly,
but she keeps coming back for more – and Tarzan started the whole macho thing
in the first place.
So how much do we like our ‘little bit of rough’? We obviously enjoy reading about it. Fifty
Shades must be the most talked about book of the year, with Christian very much
the dominant male and definitely abusive at times. But that is fiction. Women
seem to prefer to take their thrills vicariously, and with our romance novels
that is exactly what we provide. A few hours of vicarious pleasure. Where we
draw the line is up to us. Female abuse in any form should never be condoned,
but we can’t make our heroes too soft either, so we walk a tightrope every time
we sit down at our computer.
What fun it is, though, to invent the perfect male. Someone
who can make us go weak at the knees with just a glance, cook a perfect meal,
and then whisk us away in his private jet to a tropical island.
The person who can bring the perfect male you described to life would be a millionaire! I think a lot of the time the men we enjoy reading about aren't ones we'd necessarily want to make a life with.
ReplyDeleteI think Angela hit the spot there. The sort of alpha male who frequents the pages of romantic novels would be insufferable in real life.
ReplyDeleteBut I don't like abusive heroes at all. I despised both Heathcliff and Christian Grey.
However, I do think there's a slight difference between a man who physically or psychologically abuses a woman so that she feels she's worthless, and an alpha male who just likes to be in control until the feisty heroine gives him a run for his money.
I think it is possible to create a hero who is tortured and perhaps doesn't always behave well, but who also treats the woman he loves with respect at all times, even if he's pushing her away because of his inner turmoil.
I don't "do" alpha males. They may be romantic and dangerous to some women but from an author's point of view and as my own personal preference they're not my idea of what a man should be to complement and partner a woman through life AS HER EQUAL. In my novels I like SNAGS with a personal issue to resolve which is where my heroine's come into their own. And he's grateful, and they fall in love and ... well you know the rest. :)
ReplyDelete