Lemondrop

Last week it was bad boys you had to watch out for. This week it's foppish, floppy-haired former presidential candidates and -- dater beware -- other good ol' boys-next-door.

Why? Revelations in "Game Change," a new book about the 2008 presidential election, revealed that John Edwards, whose worst offense at one point was his taste for diva-ishly expensive haircuts, was nothing short of an "ego monster." And, according to authors John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, Elizabeth Edwards, his well-liked wife, wasn't much better behaved on the campaign trail.

The most shocking fallout is perhaps how you could drive a truck through the gap between Edward's public image and his actual antics behind closed doors.

In an excerpt that recently appeared in New York magazine, John Edwards is seen engaging in a reckless affair, even after being warned by loyal staffers that his dangerous flirtation with a documentary filmmaker could bring down his campaign.

That behavior might be surprising to anyone who saw him as the perfect, loving husband, but -- and here's the rub for anyone who's ever fallen hard for a perfect charmer -- image consultant Sandy Dumont says there were signs that hinted at the man behind the mask.

Dumont, who has 30 years' experience as an image consultant, pointed to Edwards' career as a trial lawyer where he often played off his "boyish good looks" to sway juries. But it's not just in courtrooms that these good boys perform.

The equation goes like this: Cute, boyish men are used to having others do their bidding and they see themselves as exempt from the rules. We, in turn, agree to see them that way; it seems there's something about an impish grin or well-placed dimple that brings out our "mothering" instinct, to a degree that can be detrimental to our romantic health.

Cues you want to watch for? Anyone whose Facebook status updates read: "I'm the most important person in the world," or a variation thereof; guys who use the word god-like self-referentially; and anyone who exhibits overt coddle-me-baby behavior. He just may be channeling his inner Edwards.

The real Johnny boy was able to put one past us, even with the news media and the eyes of millions across the country on him. With the power of online dating, when you can carefully curate your profile to represent the truth -- or not; it doesn't take millions of dollars to create an image that differs drastically from reality.

Then again, not being able to trust even the guys our moms like is enough to drive us into the arms of a bad boy again.

Which do you tend to go for: smooth-talking charmer or rough-around-the-edges fixer-upper?