Biggest Turn-off in a Romantic Lead
Let's talk about Romantic characters. Who's hot and who's not? Or rather, what's hot and what's not?
Nerdiness is apparently HOT. Nobody voted for it as a turn-off.
Disloyalty, on the other hand, is NOT.
Here's the breakdown in order of notness:
First, Disloyalty.
Second, Hygiene problems.
Third, a tie between Disrespect and Playboy persona
Fourth, Know-it-allness
Fifth, a four-way tie between Shyness, Bossiness, Addiction, and Indecisiveness
And Nerdiness, as we've already established, is hot.
So, pay attention, people who want to write a book only to the six people who answered this poll (hee hee). Your next romantic lead needs to be a loyal nerd who respects women and showers, isn't too smart, shy, bossy, or indecisive. And he must not drown his sorrows in alcohol or World of Warcraft. There you have it, people. I hope that helped.
Too small a sample, you say?
Posh! If you write this book, I will post a link here and you have six potential buyers pseudo-guaranteed. That's a pseudo-guarantee! It just doesn't get better than that!
In all seriousness, my friends. I need more poll participation. Or maybe I need a new poll-writer. Hmm... Must contact Obama's people.
What's the biggest turn-off in a romantic lead? We may never know. But we know it's not nerdiness. With 100% pseudo-certainty. Six out of six people declare Nerdiness super-hot.
Am I reading too much into this? Discuss below.
Here's the breakdown in order of notness:
First, Disloyalty.
Second, Hygiene problems.
Third, a tie between Disrespect and Playboy persona
Fourth, Know-it-allness
Fifth, a four-way tie between Shyness, Bossiness, Addiction, and Indecisiveness
And Nerdiness, as we've already established, is hot.
So, pay attention, people who want to write a book only to the six people who answered this poll (hee hee). Your next romantic lead needs to be a loyal nerd who respects women and showers, isn't too smart, shy, bossy, or indecisive. And he must not drown his sorrows in alcohol or World of Warcraft. There you have it, people. I hope that helped.
Too small a sample, you say?
Posh! If you write this book, I will post a link here and you have six potential buyers pseudo-guaranteed. That's a pseudo-guarantee! It just doesn't get better than that!
In all seriousness, my friends. I need more poll participation. Or maybe I need a new poll-writer. Hmm... Must contact Obama's people.
What's the biggest turn-off in a romantic lead? We may never know. But we know it's not nerdiness. With 100% pseudo-certainty. Six out of six people declare Nerdiness super-hot.
Am I reading too much into this? Discuss below.
I loved reading this. I voted for "disloyalty," but I'll admit I have to add a caveat: I love reading and writing about trust issues, especially when it comes to political intrigue. And I love redeemed characters -- say, Severus Snape. However, the "disloyalty" that I cannot stand is romantic disloyalty, a.k.a. cheating. That is definitely the biggest turn-off.
ReplyDeleteAnd nerdiness definitely wins, hands down.
I completely agree with you! Redeemed characters are wonderful because they speak to that part of us that harbors regrets, and wants/NEEDS a second chance. Cheaters never prosper. And in a romantic character, I find that one hard to redeem. If he cheats, he is the WRONG guy.
ReplyDeleteK, name me a nerd who was hot. I'll start:
All the guys on Numb3rs.
Disloyalty sucks, hands down. But I also hate lack of confidence, which I rarely see in the romantic lead, and A LOT in the female protagonist. Can I get a ruling here? No more insecure girls falling for cocky dudes, please! :D
ReplyDeleteDefinitely! It's frustrating to read female protagonists who are chronically insecure and let guys--and other girls--walk all over them. However, I do think that there's a bit of truth to the stereotype. After all, we are all a little insecure in a budding relationship. I just think it would be nice to see that represented as a two-sided thing. Guys get insecure, too. They may handle it differently, but that's where story-telling gets interesting. :-)
ReplyDelete