The Only Fictional Male Character I've Ever Truly Loved

If you read or watched the movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and didn't fall in love with Mr. Darcy, I just have one thing to tell you: I don't believe that one bit.

You don't need to be a sucker for Jane Austen or 18th-century British society to appreciate that incredible, and unfortunately fictional, man. He's mysterious, intelligent, moral, and unafraid of being mocked by a woman.

He isn't perfect, but he is as close to perfection as a man can get.

Even though he was written over 200 years ago, Darcy remains one of the most adored romantic heroes ever. So what sets him aside from hundreds of Hollywood male characters that we are supposed to be drooling over?

Well, for one - he wasn't written by a man.

The phenomenon of Mr. Darcy

If you ask a random man why women love Darcy, he will probably answer "because he is rich and handsome". Some might even say that's because he is sometimes mean (no, women don't fall for "bad boys" as often as you might think).

And yes, he is a rich, handsome, and overall powerful figure. But it's not his wealth or good looks that can fully explain his desirability. To get to the bottom of women's admiration for Mr. Darcy, it is crucial to understand his relationship with Pride and Prejudice's heroine - Elizabeth Bennet.

Even by modern standards, Elizabeth is a truly empowered woman who follows the beat of her own drum. She doesn't give in to societal pressures and isn't afraid to take her future into her own hands.

Mr. Darcy admires Elizabeth for the woman she is. He isn't at all discouraged to pursue and desire a woman far beneath him in family connections and status. On the contrary, he is ready to give up his social world and do whatever it takes to conquer her heart - even if that means changing himself.

And that, right there, is the key to Darcy's allure.

Despite having little experience of physical love herself, Austen managed to create a man prepared to change for love. A man who once makes his mind up is all in and pursues the relationship with wild determination.

And that formula, cleverly crafted by a woman who understood the female psyche better than most writers, made us all fall head over heels for him.

The male gaze still dominates the entertainment industry

There aren't many fictional male characters as admired by women as Mr. Darcy. Not surprisingly, since most of the characters in popular movies, TV shows, and books are written from men's points of view. In the US, men have created 95 percent of all of the mainstream movies we've ever seen.

Men's perspective in arts & entertainment is also referred to as the "male gaze". The "gaze" itself is a term originating in the 1970s film theory that describes how the audience observes and engages with visual media.

The male gaze takes many forms but can be identified by situations where women are either portrayed as "objects" of heterosexual male desire or only exist in terms of what they represent to the hero of the story.

The prevalence of the male gaze in the entertainment industry results in a stereotypical portrayal of both women and men. Women often play the role of homemakers or girlfriends or objects of desire, while men play the role of providers in charge of everything.

Even female protagonists written by men tend to be over-sexualized and given less dialogue and backstory than their male counterparts. And as a result, I can't think of even one modern fictional male character that I remotely like.

They are ALL just a bunch of copy-paste assholes.

All of the Tarantino "badasses", all of the James Bond versions, all of the Marvel superheroes or villains. And don't even get me started with the main character of The Wolf of Wall Street, now admired by all the investment banking wannabes. Yikes.

Maybe male writers find that surprising, but I don't exactly dream of a muscular bro who power lifts and snorts cocaine every weekend to objectify my existence and rescue me from other, equally bad guys.

And frankly, I don't know a woman that would find that appealing either.

Female gaze, where art thou?

Unfortunately, we still don't have many Jane Austens out there getting their voices heard. And as a result, the female gaze isn't commonly found in the mainstream entertainment industry.

What I find particularly interesting about this phenomenon is that most men have little to no clue that they seldom see things from women's perspectives.

For instance, female protagonists are more likely to appear in romantic comedies or dramas than in any other genre. Both of these movie types are more popular among female audiences, and they are often written or directed by women.

And sure, some men might watch and enjoy those types of movies too. But the overwhelming majority doesn't. Romantic comedies and dramas are often labeled as "girly" and "not real cinema", which is yet another proof that the arts and entertainment world is a boys club.

I don't feel ashamed to admit I love that kind of movie. Just because there isn't an explosion or a brutal fight happening every five minutes doesn't mean it's not real cinema.

But I do wish we would discard those silly misconceptions about art created by women. Maybe that would encourage more men to actually give it a try.

Final thoughts

The male gaze has monopolized the visual and written arts for far too long. But since more and more women enter the arts and entertainment fields, this situation is slowly starting to change.

And that change should bring about more movies, books, and art that portray a different way of looking at the world. The female way. Not spoiled by the patriarchal stereotypes and harmful fantasies.

And hopefully, we will have more characters like our beloved Mr. Darcy in no time.

This story was originally published on Medium.