Let’s take a real guy who’s a real ‘bad boy.’ He’s muscular, wears ‘bad boy fashion,’ drives a sports car and a motorcycle, is arrogant, sarcastic, and an asshole to his friends, family, and kids, and very clearly doesn’t love or even like his friends or girlfriend. Is it true he’s more likable than a ‘nice guy’?
I don’t think anyone has ever claimed a person like that is more likable. They do have better prospects on the short-term dating market, broadly speaking, but that’s about it.
When it comes to women, what they generally look for in a mate is the capacity to be bad - but not acting that way toward them. It signals both competence and kindness. Just being “bad” isn’t good in the long run, and neither is being “good” when it’s just a survival strategy rather than a conscious choice.
I think this is the right answer. People definitely like the “bad boy” aesthetic to the extent that it remains an aesthetic and doesn’t extend into character flaw. It’s not entirely dissimilar to liking the goth baddie aesthetic.
This is very distinct from being an asshole though. “Bad” is genuinely not giving a fuck. Doing your own thing, not following trends, and definitely not following scammers on YouTube who tell you how to act.