THE BETTY-VERONICA CONUNDRUM

Gee, let’s face it gents we’ve all been there, undecided, unable to cut our losses, wondering what the repercussions of making a choice will be, but some even have it harder when that choice means choosing one of two very different, but similarly special women.

That being said, a particular young man from Riverdale has had little to worry about for a while now (CW reboot aside), for 78 years Archie Andrews has co-dated or separately dated Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge at one time or the other - two friends who are as different as their hair colour but share a common desire and fondness for the ginger haired lad. It’s a real head ringer to fathom how given a situation like that, Archie still sucks air, he’s having the best of both worlds and it doesn’t look like it’ll be stopping anytime soon, but then again we don’t share Archie’s perpetual youthfulness or immunity towards aging, so while he’s in no haste to make a life altering decision, we are usually hard pressed for time to do so.

Archie comic (digest magazine for us matured folk) readers will know exactly what I’m talking about, as a teenager I couldn’t imagine a more optimal situation I wanted to be in, but the real world hasn’t been that hunky dory since the swinging sixties, so unless you happen to have very deep pockets or can sell fire to the Devil, then you're just gonna have to swallow the modesty pill like the rest of us, meanwhile the perpetually teenage Archie Andrews will probably keep bouncing on and off those two ladies (or three, counting Cheryl Blossom) long after we’re gone and probably even after our children’s’ children as well.

However Archie’s love triangle (or square) isn’t peculiar to just him or the world of Riverdale High (although he is quite famous for it) we see and hear about it everyday, in fact its been recycled in so many other mediums, from movies, books, TV shows and even video games, with the roles reversed or otherwise. Some popular character protagonists with far less luck in the field include; X-Men’s Jean Grey-Cyclops-Wolverine arch, Nathan Drake of the Uncharted series had an Elena or Chloe problem, Geralt the Witcher had Triss Merigold or Yennefer of Vengerberg to contend with. So what then should excuse you, mere mortal from such a dizzying experience? Point is, Love triangles or whatever you choose to call them are a common phenomena that wont be disappearing anytime soon, so what happens in real life, when you’re between a rock and a hard place and just can’t choose? It’s obviously a whole lot different as the repercussions of making a choice will probably stick around longer. Most times these two (or more) people have very different physiological or psychological make ups, personality traits, habits etc. stark contrasts that may just be as alluring as the other, take Betty and Veronica for example;

Betty Cooper- The girl next door.
Open minded, homely, handy, low maintenance, smart, bookish, athletic, tough, witty, insecure, dowdy etc.

Veronica Lodge- The girl of your dreams?
Classy, stylish, charming, sexy, high maintenance, outgoing, popular, driven, ambitious, materialistic, self-indulgent etc.

Of course they were simply modeled stereotypes for a time, in reality human beings are more complex and these traits can be interchangeable.
The point is, with every person comes their pros and cons, we can’t custom create (or draw) the perfect human being to be with. So where does that leave us? Compromise basically, that’s what it all comes down to, since we can’t have it all or be perpetually sixteen, you’d have to give up something for the other, depending on your scale of preference- lifestyle, creed, ambitions and whatnot, determining what you can live with or without, letting go of certain must-have qualities and choosing someone that’s not perfect (no one is), but perfect for your imperfections, either way you will always be potentially losing someone special in some way that the other isn’t.

Anyway before I start to sound like some expert on matters of the heart, I’d just like to point out that I have a very difficult time choosing what toppings I like on a pizza or which one of my identical white shirts to wear each morning, so you really shouldn't be reading this, what do I know?

Luckily (or unluckily) for us, we’ll never have to spend our entire lives on the pages of a comic print, but Archie wouldn’t mind, he’s got all the time in the world and his gals will seemingly wait on him forever.