Bond. James Bond. Dressed in a well-tailored suit, he encompasses an air of mystery and burgeoning sexuality that seems to intoxicate women from left to right. He has a tough exterior and a top-of-the-line Aston Martin to match. He is the quintessential "bad boy" - full of adventure, spontaneity and not to mention a chiseled body.
To fit the cliché of the bad boy, this is the type of guy that women are supposed to swoon over. In spite of this, a recent survey conducted by online-dating site PARSHIP.com revealed that women from England aren't too keen on the whole bad boy persona for prospective mates. According to the study, women in the birthplace of special agent Bond actually prefer men who are accountants and value marriage, rather than those who gallivant across the world without a care.
Jessica Schiffman, assistant director of women's studies, says the Bond persona might not be as appealing as everyone suggests.
"James Bond is so overblown as a representation of masculinity," Schiffman says. "He's very predatory to women [and] sees women as pleasure objects."
Women are merely put in the movies to fulfill his fantasies. Schiffman says in reality, men and women aren't out to fulfill sexual desires and go on frivolous adventures.
"In real life, we are looking for more dimensions," Schiffman says. "We are looking for people to be companions with."
A Yahoo.com article states that only 22 percent of the British women surveyed by PARSHIP.com saw the appeal of the alpha Bond man.
Suzanne Cherrin, professor of women's studies, states in an e-mail message that the media influences women's decisions as to what they consider attractive.
"I think that the bad boy persona represents a dominant type of masculinity in our culture," Cherrin says. "Women subscribe to this as an attractive ideal just because he's featured in the media as an icon."
Cherrin considers the obsession with the James Bond type as more fantasy than reality.
Despite the backlash against bad boys, some female students believe bad boys aren't as insensitive as they're thought to be. Senior Meg Steller says her boyfriend can be considered a "bad boy," and she loves that characterization.
"My current boyfriend of five years was a 'bad boy' in high school," Steller says. "I found this aspect of his personality and actions to be very sexy. He did what he wanted regardless of, and many times in spite of, the rules."
Steller says the stigma of the bad boy often gives that persona a bad rap.
"One negative thing about the bad boy image is that bad boys tend to sleep around and are not looking for relationships," she says. "My boyfriend has changed a lot since we have been dating - he is still the bad boy that first attracted me, but I have unlocked his softer side."
Steller defends the stability of the proposed instable relationship with a bad boy.
"They can make the best relationship material because you can tame them some and then they are a perfect mix of the two extremes," she says.
Some students, however, feel bad boys would make a less-than-perfect mixture of the two extremes. Sophomore Alyssa Quezada says her experience dating a bad boy focused more on changing him.
"I had a boyfriend for four years in high school who was a total badass," Quezada says. "I was the smart, straight-edged, never-got-in-trouble kind of girl and he was the smoking, drinking, getting-with-lots-of-girls, getting-arrested type. He treated me like a princess, though, and because of the fact that I kind of changed him, it made me feel special knowing that he cared about me enough to treat me better than he had treated previous girls."
However, she says now that she's older, she is more attracted to the stereotypical good-boy type.
"I find good boys more attractive because if I were to get into a relationship with them, I wouldn't have to go through so much work trying to make them change," Quezada says.
Freshman Julie Davis shares the sentiments of the majority.
"They tend to think that they are extremely cool and I do not find that attractive," Davis says. "They also tend to objectify women. The James Bond character is very good looking and very experienced. Although I am attracted to his appearance, I would never want a relationship with him."
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