Why do men like women who act like little girls?

I've been thinking about this for a while, men often complain that women like "bad guys" and not "nice ones" like them. But there's a rarely acknowleged equivalent, men going for little girly princesses, the child women, who pretend they don't understand things and can't do things and all the men think it's cute and go falling over themselves to help, the rest of us just get told not to be stupid and learn how to fix it ourselves. The child woman, will also be incredibly manipulative and often end up taking the man for a ride, emotionaly and often financially too and they seem to keep getting away with it. Men I know who've come out of a relationship with these sort of women, swear they never want to be in a relationship like that again, but within months or sometimes weeks have found another who treats them just as badly and they seem incapable of learning from their mistakes.

I'm not trying to have a go at anyone here, apart from maybe the child women, I'm just curious to know if others recognise this pattern of behaviour and how they deal with it? 

Parents
  • My random thought is

    ~100 years ago, strong men were seen as safe; and servile women may have been preferred by men. Why? What is most useful for the rulers of society tends to be internalised by members. It was useful to be strong, it was useful to be obedient or compliant in order to serve the strong.

    So I think the predilection for strong man and obedient woman fit what society was like some time ago. But that is half the story.

    The "bad guy", and the "child-like woman" also seem to be archetypes for what is rule-breaking. An occasional slip with a rebellious man rather than boring Popeye; and, on the other side, with a young (or rebellious) woman. 

    To be clear, I don't think men desire children; but men desire young women that behave in a rebellious or rule breaking way (which can be dressed up as child-like), which shares some child-like aspects. Similar for women.

    Seeking the prohibited is an felt as an act of freedom from what is seen as oppression; this disobedience or challenge to authority and rules may have biological roots. 

    I think men can more easily acknowledge the dark side without harsh criticism.

    Slowly "strong men" model is being replaced by rich or powerful men, but the "bad guy" remains.

    I expect the same will happen for women: obedient replaced by powerful, and the "child-like" one remains.

Reply
  • My random thought is

    ~100 years ago, strong men were seen as safe; and servile women may have been preferred by men. Why? What is most useful for the rulers of society tends to be internalised by members. It was useful to be strong, it was useful to be obedient or compliant in order to serve the strong.

    So I think the predilection for strong man and obedient woman fit what society was like some time ago. But that is half the story.

    The "bad guy", and the "child-like woman" also seem to be archetypes for what is rule-breaking. An occasional slip with a rebellious man rather than boring Popeye; and, on the other side, with a young (or rebellious) woman. 

    To be clear, I don't think men desire children; but men desire young women that behave in a rebellious or rule breaking way (which can be dressed up as child-like), which shares some child-like aspects. Similar for women.

    Seeking the prohibited is an felt as an act of freedom from what is seen as oppression; this disobedience or challenge to authority and rules may have biological roots. 

    I think men can more easily acknowledge the dark side without harsh criticism.

    Slowly "strong men" model is being replaced by rich or powerful men, but the "bad guy" remains.

    I expect the same will happen for women: obedient replaced by powerful, and the "child-like" one remains.

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