Imperfect? No thanks!

I read Eve Vaughn's post over on Sexual Chocolate Authors blog about imperfect heroes. She asks why we never seem to have (physically) imperfect men in romance novels. Good question. Why don't we?

Before we get too deep into this, let me just say that IMO romance is essentially a fantasy. I've said this before. It's fantasy grounded in reality. Certainly, not all the men in the world today have sculpted bods, washboard abs you can toss a quarter off of, or really tight asses that look awesome in jeans. Not all men look good in whatever they wear, who can strut around in leather jacket and pants without looking like a freakin' biker (no offense to the biker-lovers out there) or wear a suit and tie without looking like a stuffy IRS accountant.

We all have our own ideas of our ideal man. The perfect hero. And woman seem to want to see that perfection in romance books. But a story with an imperfect hero is not impossible. Just not common.

I've read books where the hero is physically handicapped. When handled right, it's a great plot. I read one years ago (can't for the life of me remember the title or author)about a hero who gets into an accident and is crippled for life. It struck me deeply how the author portrayed the hero's bitterness and anguish and how he lashed out at the heroine at first. She bore the brunt of his anger with dignity and refused to back down. It was, quite simply, a deep and abiding love. I empathized with the characters. So much so that I actually teared up. See? It can be done. An imperfect hero can exist between the pages of a romance novel. Just depends on the plot and how it's handled. It was beautifully written. I loved it.

I also read a book about a viscount, or marquis or something, who was a great boozer and let his body go. By the end of the book, he was fit and healthy. And hot. It seemed too easy but hey, there you go.Take from that what you will.

Other romance books highlight other imperfections, like character flaws. A hero can be arrogant, selfish, obnoxious (not too much, though), ultra-alpha (if you consider that an imperfection *g*), has slept around with too many women (again, if that's an imperfection), afraid to commit, etc., etc. Then during the course of the story, the hero evolves into a better person. Somebody who realizes the folly of being selfish, or somebody who is humbled along the way. The denouement, so to speak. Then comes the happy ever after.

So why don't we have more physically imperfect heroes in romance novels? Maybe emotional imperfections or character flaws are more readily acceptable than physical ones. I don't really know the answer. Something to chew on, that's for sure.