Post 146: Fact or Fiction: It's Always the Bad Boy

In most love triangles, there are two guys and one girl (don't worry this is not another love triangle rant, but it is a rant of sorts). And usually of the two guys one is the stereotypical "nice guy". He is friends with her first (usually). He is nice to her at all times, and generally willing to go out of his way for her whenever she asks him to (and sometimes when she doesn't). In some media he crosses the line between friend and doormat. Then there is another very different guy. He is usually broody and stubborn. He doesn't usually express his emotions with words so much as outbursts or sulking. He tends to be the "bad boy" type.

And 99% of the time, that is who the girl ends up with.

Mortal Insturments: Sweet Simon vs. Moody Jace? It's Jace.
Twilight: Brooding Edward or Brotherly Jake? It's Edward.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Honorable Norrington or Pirate Will? It's Will.
Coffee Prince: Arrogant HK or supportive HS? It's HK.
Gilmore Girls: Jerk Jess or Loving Dean? It's Jess.
My Fair Lady: Devoted Freddy or Distant Higgins? It's Higgins.
You're Beautiful: Mean TK or Kind SW? It's TK.
Boys Before Flowers: Vindictive JP or Sensitive JH? It's JP.
Secret Garden: Entitled KJ or Caring IJ? It's KJ.

But, in most cases, what brings them together is not that he is a rude, arrogant jerk that needs to be slapped in the face with reality. It is that he SPOKE UP. He SAID something. It is usually connected to arrogance or jerkiness, because he feels kind of entitled to her. But it means that she KNOWS how he feels, and so starts thinking of him that way.

In Mortal Instruments, Simon says nothing until she has already fallen for Jace.
In Twilight, Jake plays the part of her brother, until it is too late.
In Pirates, well Norrington came WAY too late to the party. She's been crushing on Will since they were kids.
In Coffee Prince, HS didn't act on his feelings until she a) found out he had a girlfriend and b) had moved on.
In You're Beautiful, TK knows she is a girl and she knows that TK knows she is a girl. (For clarification, she is pretending to be a guy for reasons.) So everything he does, she sees him doing it for her as a girl. Meanwhile, she doesn't know SW knows she is a girl. So, what he does to win her over (gifts, compliments, secret sharing, hugs, things like that) she assumes he is doing as a brother figure. SPEAK UP DUDE~! I was actually rooting for you (in one version, at least).
In Secret Garden, IJ spends every day with her at work, but never tells her how he feels. He even distances himself at times when he thinks she might be noticing. Suddenly KJ appears and what does he do? He goes to her work. He brings her to his work. He shows up at her house. He actively pursues her. He doesn't just sit on the sidelines and hope she will notice him. 
In Boys Before Flowers, he doesn't saying anything until JP has already declared her his girlfriend. Like really? You're speaking up a little late considering she has actually already made it pretty clear she liked you, then backed off since she thought you were in love with someone else.

(By the way, that is how a love triangle SHOULD BE. Two girls like the same guy, she sees he cares about the other girl more and instead of being rude or cruel, she encourages him to be with her and her to be with him because she knows it will make him happy.)

Anyway, my point is that the girl doesn't always pick the bad boy (at least not BECAUSE he is a bad boy). Most of the time, she just picks the one who bothered to SPEAK UP first. Katniss chose "nice guy" Peeta in Hunger Games, why? He confessed he loved her in front of everyone before Gale ever confessed at all.

It's not about who is nicest, its about who is first to say something. If any of these "nice guys" had spoken up sooner, they'd have had a lot better chance at getting the girl to see them as more than a friend. It is like they are written as being so timid that they just want to sit on the side and hang out just behind her, hoping she will turn around and notice them while the jerk guy will jump up and down in front of her screaming "NOTICE ME". And then the nice guy is surprised when she doesn't pick him.

People aren't psychic. If you just hang out in their periphery they might totally miss you. And it will be your fault for not doing anything. Not theirs.

Anyway, I just wanted to express my thoughts about the subject.