My 9-year-old daughter caught a bit of the John Hughes classic Pretty In Pink a few weeks ago. I didn't let her watch the entire thing since it's not entirely age-appropriate, but she was completely flabbergasted when I told her that Andie picks Blaine, not Duckie in the end.
"But why?" she whined. "She should pick the funny boy who is her friend."
After my initial flush of pride in knowing that I've raised my daughter to pass the Pretty In Pink test, it did get me thinking about the subject. I told a (male) friend of mine about it and he said, "of course she picked Blaine. Because that's what happens in real life. The girl always picks the jerk and the nice guy always remains just a friend."
Is that really true? Why are we so attracted to things that are bad for us? Are bad boys just like refined sugar and reality tv?
I get the appeal of bad boys. I even dated a few. But after my fair share of doomed relationships and requisite broken hearts, I learned my lesson and ultimately ended up with the quintessential nice guy-- sweet, kind, funny, fantastic father and my very best friend. Of course, it took a over year for me to move him out of the friend zone and recognize what was right in front of me all along, but that's a blog for another day.
My husband has always had lots of female friends (part of that whole "nice guy" shtick he has going on), many of whom are single and constantly bemoan the fact that there aren't any other guys like him out there. The truth of the matter is that there are-- you just have to know yourself well enough to know what it is you're looking for. And to be able to reach out and grab it when you finally find it.
Now if only banishing refined sugar and reality TV from our lives was as easy...
