Could we please have some more gentlemen?

I hate cliches. Everyone here knows I hate cliches. So allow me to vent about one of the biggest, the most grating, the most disliked and yet the most common cliche in YA fiction.

The jerk boyfriend.

Boyfriends in YA suck. I could name a few names, but then most of you would probably haul me off to the chopping block before I finished my coffee, so we'll have to go without any examples. But I'll tell you one thing: all these guys mistreat the girls before they're in a relationship, and the abuse doesn't go away after they're in the relationship. Excuse me, if my boyfriend treats me like that, he's getting kicked to the curb.

Ash had the right idea. She kicked him out.

Being a jerk isn't attractive. Being abusive isn't attractive. A little banter is fun, I don't mind banter, but if he's pushing her around (figuratively or literally) and just being mean because he feels like it, I have one question for you: What the heck?

What girl in her right mind wants all that? Plus, it's a terrible idea to portray relationships of this kind to teenagers.

No, no. I have a much better concept for you to wrap your head around. Wait for it- gentlemen in fiction.

Go ahead, faint now. What if the guys in books were really nice, and held the door for her and pulled out her chair, but was also ready to defend her should she need it? Wouldn't that just be so refreshing?

I read a book once called the Tiger's Curse. In this book, the roles were reversed. The girl was a jerk (apologies to the author, but I hated the girl) and the guy was the one who was super nice. He was a tiger by day and a human by night, kinda like a gender-bent swan lake now that I think about it, but whenever he was human, he was the sweetest thing. He respected her wishes and her personal space, he gave her massages, he cooked for her, he bought her clothes, he was just the best. Such a gentleman. I was in love with his character. (Heck, the girl didn't seem to want him very much, so can I have him?)

I can put the girl aside for now, but we need to talk about the prince. We need more like him. Maybe less extreme, they don't have to give massages and buy clothes (let's spare them the stress), but could they please be more polite? Let's see more of the guys who help the girl up when she trips over herself. Let's see more of the guys who get her cute presents and would do anything to make her smile when she's crying. Let's see more of these guys.

THESE kinds of guys

I think it actually shows them to be more of a man when they have lovely manners but are still ready to turn around and fight off the thugs. Not to mention, hello, where are her parents? They cannot possibly approve of this jerk who's dating their daughter. They're much more likely to approve of a young man who has wonderful manners and treats her with respect. They know he'll treat their daughter well.

Okay, now I'll get down off my soapbox.



What's your opinion on this? What gentlemen boyfriend characters have you seen in books and movies? Tell me in the comments. I'll do my very best to get back to you. Please sign up for the emails to get notified every time I post (which is every Monday) and check out my Instagram and Twitter for writing humor throughout the week.