Six men that are not worth trying to change

Our culture insists on telling women to believe one whopping fallacy: a man can change with the love of a good woman.

Novels such as Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, movies as diverse as Rebel without a Cause and The Breakfast Club and reality shows such as Dad Camp and Tool Academy sell this falsehood.

No matter how loving, patient and understanding we are, we cannot change the men in our lives.

They can change, but it is a slow process and the man in question has to want to change. We can't will it.

I bring this up because this particular year has shown how awful men can be to women. Here are six men who take the cake:

1. Tiger Woods. If a man cheated on you before you were married, he will cheat on you afterwards, as well. The scope of Woods' alleged cheating is epic, and he shows how difficult it is for a tiger to change its stripes.

2. Roman Polanski. If a man has been in hiding from a whole country to avoid jail time for an admitted crime, the rape of a teenage girl, he is not someone to date, marry or work with. If he had done his time and shown remorse, he may have been a different story.

3. Chris Brown. If a man hits you once, he will probably do it again. If he hit an ex-girlfriend once, he will probably hit another unless he has had serious therapy.

4. Levi Johnston. If a man uses you and your family to gain fame, poses for Playgirl and then trashes your mother to anyone that will listen, he is not the guy you should marry. Although I am no fan of Sarah Palin's politics, I do believe that as a mother she deserves more respect than this mess.

5. Charlie Sheen. Seriously, why are women even still going anywhere near him? Beware of drug addicts, sex addicts and alcoholics. Some can and do change, but Sheen seems to love the wild life too much to do so. Also, if you're doing hard drugs with your spouse, you might want to reconsider the relationship.

6. Mel Gibson. Oh Mel, there was a time when you were the icon of a good man, married happily with a brood of children. What happened? I don't believe that Gibson changed overnight. The psychological abuse and threats he has allegedly hurled at his ex-girlfriend does not just happen in a vacuum. With how much racism and misogyny that has come out of him in the last few years, I wonder how much was covered up (and still is) by his public relations team and his ex-wife.

No relationship is perfect, but ladies, some are better than others. If you want your man to change, seriously consider if change is even possible. Do not stay in an abusive or disrespectful situation. We deserve better and these men, the ones we see as fixer-uppers, are not worth our time.