Column: The Male Perspective; Unraveling the mystery of Mr. Darcy

After writing my last column about “Pride and Prejudice” and, more specifically, Colin Firth, it quickly came to my attention that I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

E-mails came from across the country from passionate women rushing to the defense of their beloved hero.

Apparently there is an entire Colin Firth/Mr. Darcy cult to which nearly every female in the country swears allegiance to. He is, according to them, everything they could ever hope for or dream of in a man.

And it’s not just Firth or the character he portrays, it’s the combination of both. Mr. Darcy would not be as lovable if he were played by any other actor and Firth would not be as attractive if he was not Mr. Darcy, so they say.

One of the e-mails I received was from a fourth-year doctorate student at Yale, which said, “When we finally understand him, we wish it would be possible to find a guy with such principles and strong feelings. You can’t blame us! So, when Colin portrayed Darcy, it was like having the Darcy we had all imagined when we read the book there for us to admire; a tall, dark, brooding, gorgeous man!”

That’s a tough act to follow. Girls everywhere want men to by just like him. I’ve even heard of girls trying to teach their significant others “the Darcy look.”

For the men out there who have never seen the movie, allow me to explain “the look.” Darcy is a guy that shows no emotion whatsoever. But he falls in love with this girl and lets out a little half-smile. Apparently that half-smile was loaded with some kind of highly-potent love potion that makes girls’ knees weak.

They will stop, take a deep breath and dream for a second at the very thought of that look. They will seriously pause the movie just to adore it.

But aside from the physical appearance, Darcy’s personality attracts women like a drowning child to a life-saver. The man is the very definition of irresistible.

This is where women keep their secret hidden. They won’t tell you what it is about his personality that is so attractive. They say that we men are supposed to figure that out. If we do, apparently, we will have the magic key to unlocking the heart of any woman we so choose.

So men, we need to be just like him. Stop showing any emotion, start acting like a jerk, tell a girl she’s worthless but you love her anyway, then start acting nice and once you let out that little smile, she’s yours.

But don’t tell women it’s that simple. After all, Mr. Darcy is “complex.” He has “feelings and emotions and stuff guys wouldn’t understand.”

According to women, it is impossible to be equal to Mr. Darcy. He’s the ultimate, the impossible dream, the perfect 10, that level which cannot be obtained by any mortal male.

I’ve heard girls say the only person that could possibly equal him is Superman, because he can fly.

That sounds hopeless for us men, but maybe we still turn on that little charm we have and make the girls think they’ve found their knight in shining armor. After all, who are we men to turn down a challenge?

Oh, but here’s one more thought from the same Yale student: “The point is, we love Colin Firth for bringing to life our favorite hero – the man that changed his attitude just because he was touched by a strong woman, and dear, we all aspire to have that effect on some representation of the male species.”

Guys, we’re screwed.

Bryan Hinton is a senior majoring in print journalism. Comments can be sent to

bhhinton@cc.usu.edu.