Madonna/ Whore Complex: The Contradictory Desires of Man

Frédéric Moreau, the main character of Flaubert’s Sentimental Education, can’t decide which woman he’s in love with; Arnoux (a pious wife), Dambreuse (a haughty socialite), Rosanette (a capricious courtesan) or Louise (an artless country girl). Moreau’s indecision — which extends to his career and his ambitions — speaks to the contradictory desires of man. Simone de Beauvoir rightly says that ‘there is no feminine figure — virgin, mother, wife, sister, servant, lover, fierce virtue, smiling odalisque — capable of encapsulating the inconstant yearnings of men’.

But is this a feature that is unique to one sex, or is it a consequence of options (which men have, historically, had the freedom to explore)? Now that women are encouraged to do the same, do they too suffer from Moreau’s indecision? Is there a female equivalent to the Madonna/ Whore complex?

If there is such a thing, the binary is likely to revolve around Players and Providers — as is illustrated in Netflix’s Sex/Life, in which the protagonist must decide between sex (the player) or life (the provider):