#4 big, strong, hairy men
I happen to like my guys tall, skinny, and not so hairy. Also, nerdy, smart, and more apt to talk their way out of a difficult situation than punch, hit, or shoot their way out. I also like my heroines to think about something other than how big, strong, or hairy this man is. I want her to notice him for something other than his physical attributes and maybe only later think about that. I don't think this is because I am sexually repressed, but I suppose I could be wrong. I think that shallow characters think about sex first and foremost, and more interesting characters have other things to do in their lives, and sex is an extra spice, shall we say, to a good dish.
#5 fainting
When I was in college, one of the first German stories I read was Kleist's Die Marquise von O., written in the 1800s. It is about a woman who faints during a war and is "rescued" by a soldier, then discovers she is pregnant and thinks it is a new "immaculate conception." But no, she was raped while she had fainted. There is some really weird sex stuff going on here, and not so much under the surface, either. The near-rape or falling in love with the rapist is pretty common in old romances, creepily. Fainting seems to me to be a bit the same.
Here's how I understand it. Fainting is a way for the woman to show how overcome she is with the man's sexiness. He has to rescue her, just like in Kleist's story. But his rescue isn't purely altruistic. It's a way to get in her good graces. The reason that fainting still exists in many romances is that it's a way for the woman to be still be feminine, to push off accepting her own sexual feelings. She doesn't have to take responsibility for them because she "needs" the guy in a real, physical way, and he is "rescuing" her.
#6 experienced man/inexperienced woman
I have read a few romances that reverse this, and I think that can be funny and interesting, but most romances still stick with the idea that a woman has to be less experienced in order to avoid becoming a "slut." Whereas men can play around as much as they want and it's never a problem. Don't like either of those stereotypes. Also don't like the way the stereotypes tend to play out. Don't like it when the woman is being pushed into more and more and then it turns out she likes it. See previous discussions of rape romance. I'm not saying this isn't sometimes true. I'm just saying that I'd like to see it framed differently, or not be about this at all.
I happen to like my guys tall, skinny, and not so hairy. Also, nerdy, smart, and more apt to talk their way out of a difficult situation than punch, hit, or shoot their way out. I also like my heroines to think about something other than how big, strong, or hairy this man is. I want her to notice him for something other than his physical attributes and maybe only later think about that. I don't think this is because I am sexually repressed, but I suppose I could be wrong. I think that shallow characters think about sex first and foremost, and more interesting characters have other things to do in their lives, and sex is an extra spice, shall we say, to a good dish.
#5 fainting
When I was in college, one of the first German stories I read was Kleist's Die Marquise von O., written in the 1800s. It is about a woman who faints during a war and is "rescued" by a soldier, then discovers she is pregnant and thinks it is a new "immaculate conception." But no, she was raped while she had fainted. There is some really weird sex stuff going on here, and not so much under the surface, either. The near-rape or falling in love with the rapist is pretty common in old romances, creepily. Fainting seems to me to be a bit the same.
Here's how I understand it. Fainting is a way for the woman to show how overcome she is with the man's sexiness. He has to rescue her, just like in Kleist's story. But his rescue isn't purely altruistic. It's a way to get in her good graces. The reason that fainting still exists in many romances is that it's a way for the woman to be still be feminine, to push off accepting her own sexual feelings. She doesn't have to take responsibility for them because she "needs" the guy in a real, physical way, and he is "rescuing" her.
#6 experienced man/inexperienced woman
I have read a few romances that reverse this, and I think that can be funny and interesting, but most romances still stick with the idea that a woman has to be less experienced in order to avoid becoming a "slut." Whereas men can play around as much as they want and it's never a problem. Don't like either of those stereotypes. Also don't like the way the stereotypes tend to play out. Don't like it when the woman is being pushed into more and more and then it turns out she likes it. See previous discussions of rape romance. I'm not saying this isn't sometimes true. I'm just saying that I'd like to see it framed differently, or not be about this at all.
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