Right now, as I type this, there are millions of women out there who have 'settled' in a poor or so-so relationship. Many of these love assclowns or emotionally unavailable men and have dug their feet in for the long haul because they believe that they love him, so things will change, or he must change. Even worse, he may continue to minimise his input into the relationship, so she will step up her input, rewarding his 10% effort with a spurt of giving, and pleasing, and willing him to recognise her greatness.

But the eternal optimism of Fallback Girls and assclown lovers actually masks FEAR.