So this would be what was being consumed in media. The main difference is that the romance "standard" was created when it was being marketed to married women who wanted to vicariously re-experience falling in love. The many subgenres of romance were created as the market broadened, and needed to appeal to a wider demographic. You can find any type of relationship in romance, including the gorgeous super model who is secretly a spy saving the clueless computer programmer. There was a while when "beta" heroes were all the rage.