Alpha or Beta…How Do You Like Your Hero?

Years ago, when I first started reading romance, every hero was an alpha male, and nearly every heroine was a helpless ingénue. He was usually in his thirties. She was between the ages of 18 and 22. He was rich, successful, and being with him would solve all of her financial worries. She was an innocent, often orphaned or raised by a grandparent, and, if not poor, she worked for a living as a nurse, secretary or teacher. Her one dream in life was to marry a rich man and never have to worry about money again.

You’d think that was in the 1950’s, but it was actually in the 1970’s. The era of The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family, when everything seemed just a little simplistic.

In the 1980’s, the picture of the hero in romance changed little. Oh, maybe he didn’t come from family money, but was now a self-made man. However, he was still hard-headed, handsome, forceful and rich…an alpha male. The heroine, however, started to change. She became a little older, maybe in her mid-20’s. She was almost always still down on her luck, because the hero always rescued her, but she was old enough to at least have a college degree. She might have a little more spunk, wanting to make it on her own, and she didn’t always roll over and give up her job or all she had worked for. The hero had to be willing to accept a woman with the ambition to make it on her own, one who wasn’t so dependent on a man for her lifestyle. Still, these heroines often worked for the hero as his girl Friday, executive secretary, or in another support  job. She might be a nurse, but he was the rich and accomplished, miracle-working surgeon.

from the film “His Girl Friday”

It seems like the advent of the beta hero happened around the 1990’s. Although there are some examples of the beta hero in classic literature, (in Emma by Jane Austen, for instance), the 1990s saw the emergence of the gentler, boy-next-door hero. He was the good guy in town, the one who opened doors, wooed a girl with flowers and a dimpled grin, had tousled hair, and could change a tire in 3 minutes flat. He might be an artist, or a boat builder, or a firefighter. He wasn’t necessarily well-off, but he was never destitute. Really, how sexy would that be for a reader, or for the heroine?

The heroine, on the other hand, might have her own business (a bake shop, for instance). She could own a ranch, or be an accomplished television reporter. The heroine has become more self-sufficient, and wants more than just financial stability, as her profile has developed over the years.

How long will it be before we have an alpha heroine, one who becomes the provider while the beta hero stays home and raises the kids?

I have to say, I loved the alpha hero of yesterday, even though they could be brutes sometimes. I remember the first Harlequin romance I read, entitled A Song Begins, by Mary Burchell. In the story, a talented singer becomes the recipient of an anonymous benefactor’s gift…private lessons from a domineering, exacting, macho, boorish opera conductor. I loved both characters, as did many other readers, because Burchell ended up resurrecting them in at least one other novel later on, as secondary characters. However, the hero, Oscar, really was quite mean. Today, people would be crying “foul!” and the heroine, Anthea, would be suing him for emotional distress.  No self-respecting heroine would put up with that treatment in 2013!

What  has brought on this change? Is it that there is a new normal, that in the post-feminist world, the traditional family dynamic has changed? My mother and my mother-in-law both worked, long before post-feminism took hold, but their role was still to maintain the household and nurture their families. However, professional satisfaction, and the idea that women could have careers and not just jobs, has become more prevalent in today’s society.

In turn, career women can’t possibly do it all (although many of us try to be Supermom and Superwife). There just isn’t enough time in the day. As women’s perception of a satisfactory life has changed, so has our idea of what constitutes the perfect man…and the perfect romance.

The perfect man, for many of us, is the man who is a partner, not a dominator. He doesn’t make the rules, he works with the heroine to carve out an existence that works for both of them. Is he a pushover? Definitely not. And I have to admit, while I like having a partner in real life, my fantasy is still the alpha male who will take the reins and “be a man”, at least in my reading (and certainly when it comes to romantic pursuits). I also like to feel cherished and protected. In reality, though, if I’m pushed, I push back. I’m too strong a character to ever want to be lorded over by anyone, much less the hero of my own personal story.

I’ve often thought I preferred the alpha hero, but my perception is changing, thanks in part to authors like Kristan Higgins, Jill Shalvis, and even our own Diana Quincy, whose beta heroes’ endearing qualities make them just the kind of men I want for their heroines. They are gentlemen who know their minds, who appreciate the talents and accomplishments of their partners, and can put aside their own egos for the sake of the relationship.  They are also fantastic in bed. Isn’t this just the type of man we all fantasize about?

So what about you? What is your hero like? Do you yearn for an alpha male, or appreciate the flexibility of the beta hero? Have you changed teams, and why? And if it won’t spill the beans on your own WIP, what do you see as the next phase of the hero in romance?

Please share!

Hugs,

Jaye

Posted by Jaye Marie Rome on October 1, 2013

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