Men, do you have a "Pedestal Girl?"?

A female friend of mine recently made a very astute observation.

“Most guys have a pedestal girl,” she said.

“A what?” I asked.

She elaborated.

“A pedestal girl is a girl that most guys fall madly in love with between the ages of 14 or so and 18 or 20. To him, she can do no wrong and is this perfect flower for whom he would do anything for. He puts her on a ‘pedestal.’ If they form a relationship that goes beyond just secret lusting and endearment, it will be rather long and passionate, but almost inevitably end in failure and some kind of falling out. This relationship will haunt the guy long into future relationships and he will have an excruciatingly difficult time trying not to compare later girls to her. No guy ever truly gets over his pedestal girl.”

“Goddamn,” I said. “I think you may be right.”

Most of my male friends have that certain girl from the past that fits into this category; the lusty, passionate relationship from the early grips of puberty that just won’t quite go away. I know men well into their 30’s that will occasionally weirdly reminisce about their particular girl.

My question for you, dear Fluther, is this: Are all the guys I know just extremely fucked up, or is this a more universal phenomena? Have you ever had a pedestal girl?

The same friend of mine who pointed this phenomena out to me also directed me to this poem. I think it sums up the concept nicely.