A survey on the eve of February 23 showed surprising results: the ideal man does not have to be smart

On the eve of the “men’s holiday” on February 23, the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion published the results of a survey in which women told how they see the ideal man – and, in particular, the ideal modern Russian man. The answers turned out to be both predictable and completely paradoxical.

Among the most important qualities, respondents named primarily masculinity and strength – 33% remembered them. Another quarter of respondents (24%) spoke about moral qualities: honesty, responsibility, reliability, devotion, decency and willingness to be responsible for their words and actions. Many (13% of respondents) remembered willpower and strength of character – courage, bravery and determination. Also, 8% added that it would not hurt a man to be able to take care of others, to be kind and attentive. Very few (5%) remembered hard work and that it would be good for a man to have business acumen.

The qualities listed are wonderful. Seriously: would anyone undertake to devalue, as they say today, honesty and decency? To doubt that determination and courage adorn a man – would any woman really want to deal with a cowardly mattress? What about caring for others? This is also a wonderful and very important thing (great, by the way, breaking the stereotype of deliberate male rudeness).

But Russian women – at least those surveyed by VTsIOM – seem to have forgotten about one more very important quality, without which all the others can, excuse me, go sideways. More precisely, turn the ideal man into a monkey with a grenade. Because for some reason no one named intelligence among his distinctive features. Having brains.

One can, of course, assume that intelligence is not considered a purely male prerogative – they say, it won’t harm women either! Undoubtedly, but… how then does intelligence differ from reliability or decency? What about honesty? Or from the ability to care for others? It seems that these qualities are also needed by everyone, regardless of gender. So, alas, we have to admit the sad truth: no one really thought that the ideal (and not only!) man should be smart – probably because they don’t think it’s important.

Although it would be worth thinking about. Many girls, as you know, tend to look for the ideal image of an ideal man in books – and most likely in those that were read a long time ago and therefore firmly imprinted in the subconscious. Well, let’s leave alone the fairy-tale princes and Prince Elisha, the romantically singing Troubadour, the mysterious Mr. Rochester hiding an inadequate wife in the attic, the brave and philosophically minded Prince Andrei Bolkonsky and even the decisive Rhett Butler – who, as we know, is “a scoundrel, not a gentleman.” ” Firstly, because it is too banal, and secondly, because only those who look at the world through rose-colored glasses can consider these characters ideal. Boring.

Instead of rose-colored glasses, you should put on green glasses and re-read a completely different book: “The Wizard of the Emerald City.” Ready-made ideal male archetypes live on its pages. Concentrated embodiments of the “most important features.” Here you have caring with love – performed by the Woodcutter, who asked the pseudo-wizard Goodwin for his heart. And the strength, determination and courage that Leo embodies – it was not in vain that he asked for courage. Well, as the vertex of the triangle – the Scarecrow, who dreamed of brains.

The trio enjoyed success, the grace of fortune, and Ellie’s sympathy, but was it not precisely because the three of them always acted together? Or, as a last resort, breaking into situational pairs. Most often – with the participation of the Scarecrow, whose brains turned out to be the very tool for them, thanks to which both the kindness of the Woodcutter and the courage of the Lion could be revealed in full force – and be directed in the right direction.

Because hard work, kindness, and the ability to care, when they are not seasoned with at least a pinch of brains, can create absolutely incredible, but far from the best things. And what they are capable of – again, without the participation of brains – is courage and strength, it’s scary to even talk about. So it is at least strange to neglect them.

Therefore, Ellie, who found herself in a difficult situation, as a reasonable, rational woman, had to collect her ideal man from three. More precisely, even out of four, because the dog Totoshka is probably responsible for selfless devotion here. Because she definitely wouldn’t have been able to cope with each of them separately, with all the twists and turns described on the pages of the book.

It is important, by the way, that it was she who dragged them to Goodwin for the fulfillment of their cherished desires – just as in real life, women often drag their beloved men to drug addiction specialists, psychotherapists and other useful specialists, get them jobs and accompany them to hairdressers. For what? Probably to create an ideal – Pygmalion is not the only one who can do this.