Depiction of multiple romantic interests

Submitted by HitmanSK007 t3_z4aoqx in television

This is not a complain or any type of content I'm asking for but just more of an observation. I've noticed a real apparent difference in the way multiple romantic interests are depicted for male and female protagonists.

If the character is male, there's always a certainty about who they want to be with, even if it doesn't work out and they have to be with someone else. Whereas if the lead is female, there's more of a genuine conflict between the choice of partners. There's more confusion and you're allowed to depict them genuinely wanting to be both without negative connotations.

There are obviously exceptions and this is more of a generalization. I just think you can get away with a lot more with a female protagonist without the audience starting to dislike them. With a male lead on the other hand, stuff like that can be seen as toying with people.

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NoraCharles91 t1_ixpxjlw wrote

This is definitely a thing, but I think it's not so much about female characters 'getting away' with more as it is really strong lingering ideas about femininity and masculinity.

I think it's perceived as attractive (to the audience, not sexually per se) for a man to be strong and decisive. Therefore, a storyline where a male character is torn between two or more female love interests risks making him seem silly, weak or frivolous in the eyes of the viewer at home.

Whereas, an audience will more readily accept a female character being torn between multiple men, as there is a greater tolerance/expectation for women to be indecisive, emotional etc.

EDIT: also, and this is going back in history but I think the effects still linger, back in the day a woman's choice of husband generally had a more significant impact on her future life than a man's choice of wife. Perhaps that accounts for the long-standing popularity of storylines where female character must decide between multiple suitors.

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HitmanSK007 OP t1_ixpyd4l wrote

I agree with what you're saying but male characters also shoulder way more of the guilt/remorse aspects of stories whereas the female ones are decisive and quicker to move on even if it's just for appearances and conforming to society which makes the whole thing even more convoluted.

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NoraCharles91 t1_ixpywq5 wrote

Have you got any particular shows in mind? I've been rewatching Gilmore Girls lately, which basically ran on the female leads having multiple love interests, although there were several instances where those male love interests were partnered with other people and experience the kind of romantic conflict you describe. But I agree that it's much rarer to see a one guy-two girl love triangle.

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HitmanSK007 OP t1_ixpzgmg wrote

It's a less popular show but there was this one called BrainDead and even though I absolutely loved it, I was just wondering about how the main character would be perceived if the roles were reversed between the sexes. And I started to think about how these things are depicted in media in general which is what got me to post this.

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kcly93 t1_ixq4qk1 wrote

If you swap any actor out with Danny Devito and suddenly the actions they do are considered creepy, then it was always creepy. The Danny Devito rule.

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u2sunnyday t1_ixvr7kz wrote

>I just think you can get away with a lot more with a female protagonist without the audience starting to dislike them.

Skylar White (Breaking Bad)

Lori Grimes (The Walking Dead)

Sookie (True Blood)

Wendy (Ozark)

Kate (Lost)

Yeah, no.

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Bears_On_Stilts t1_ixsyl89 wrote

Community had some level of romantic or sexual ambiguity in almost every possible pairing in the study group. It wasn't until the final episodes that the official canonical pairings were established, and most of them didn't wind up together anyway.

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