The Bad Boy

I don't know where you've been if you haven't come across this image of Jeremy Meeks last month. He is the handsome felon facing criminal charges of possession of firearms & gang crime activity; its no joke in the streets. However, people seem less worried about the gravity of the allegations against him, and more concerned with his model looks. With multiple shares on social media platforms and over 100,000 likes of the initial mugshot image, Meeks has gone down as the most photogenic criminal of all time (no actual statistics were garnered to reach that conclusion).

 Leather Jacket : H&M | Crop Top : H&M | Skirt : Custom made (Nigeria) | Heels : Steve Madden

I found myself asking why there was such mania surrounding this felon, and I seem to have found an answer; The Bad Boy. There's a stereotype (probably promulgated by Disney, as most things surrounding early cognitive development in the 21st century are) that most girls pine away, crafting their perfect wedding to Prince Charming so they can live Happily Ever After (post coming soon). However, enroute to that enchanted castle in the faraway land of It'llNeverBloodyHappenSoFaceTheBluntFactsOfLife, we are won over by the charms of The Bad Boy. "Who is he?" You ask. He's the dude that hunts broads like a wolf scours for sheep to devour. He's the lad that chugs down his medicine of choice (drugs, alcohol or whatever else kids are into these days) with manic speed w/swag off the richter, and w/o experiencing the same side-effects as we novices. He's the one that can charm your negligee off with the wink of an eye and a sparkle of his glistening teeth...but that's all before sh*t hits the fan, the rose-tinted glass splatters and you're left with a broken heart, a + sign on a white stick or an addiction to some harmful substance or other. Sound familiar?

 Bracelets (from top) : Gran Canaria (Spain); Abuja (Nigeria); Inverness (Scotland)

Necklace : NEXT (Thrifted) | Ring : H&M

That perfectly explains our obsessions with Meeks. He's the bad boy that we all dreamed of doing bad things with. What makes him all the more appealing is that he is unattainable. His bail being posted for an extortionate amount (not as a result of his aesthetic appeal, but due to the severity of the charges against him) means that he wont be seeing the light of day anytime soon. So we are at liberty to pine away at our leisure w/o fear of him smashing our fantasies with the reality of his voice, actions, or what have you in real time.  

I'm trying to understand why? Why are we so hung up on this fantasy of a bad boy? I wish I could blame Hiphop but the demographic cannot be restricted to women with access to that genre of music (not that hiphop only appeals to a certain race of woman....bear with me). In fact, the surge in popularity and interest in Meeks cannot be sanctioned to just women! Men took an interest too (although somewhat hateful, but that's tea worth sipping on another fine evening). We, as women, have reached a somewhat pessimistic conclusion that Prince Charming may be a figment of our 5-year-old imaginations. Thus, we've conjured up the best means of living Happily Ever After. Think of Grease and John Travolta...good girl meets bad boy, changes bad boy into Prince Charming...and they live Happily Ever After. The fantasy of Meeks is that a fine man resides within the confines of chiselled cheekbones and plump gentlemanly lips. We are overlooking his current situation as we overlook the warning signs before dating a bad boy. We think its something that can be brushed, bought or befriended off, 'cos all he really needs is love & attention to reform into the Prince Charming of our 5-year-old dreams. *side eye anyone*

BLEURGH!! Meeks may not be so meek 'n' mild so pine after someone you'd also have dreamed of as a child.