A Note on Twilight

With the juggernaut success of the Stephanie Meyer series, I have found myself pondering why the vampire continues to hold such universal allure for the teenage girl. Since I once was one myself (a teenage girl, not a vampire) it seems like this wouldn't be such an impossible case to solve. What was it that drew me to those much dog-eared copies in my Anne Rice collection? Was it the theme of impossible longing that resonated in my underdeveloped teenage brain? The promise of eternal love? Or was it just that vampires got to stay out late and didn't have to follow the rules of society, much less their long dead parents?

This afternoon, in a teenage girl packed screening of Twilight, I think I finally figured it out. It isn't because they're undead. That makes them icky and automatically qualifies them for the purview of the teenage *male* interest. It's because they're BAD. Now, this may seem like a somewhat facile observation. But the fact of the matter is, be it conscious or unconscious, the ultimate goal of the average teenage girl (and, again, I'm speaking from all-too-tragic experience) is to date the most hideously inappropriate person possible. And who better meets those qualifications than a pale faced, undead suitor whose primal desire is to drain her of all her blood? Yup--the ultimate bad boy.



The case of Edward and Bella (our Twilight teen) is a perfect example. Edward is terrible boyfriend material. He stalks Bella while she's with her friends, breaks into her house to watch her sleep, and tries to convince her she's suffering post traumatic stress disorder when she refuses to believe his transparent lies. In one of the most 'romantic' scenes of the film (and I only know this scene was romantic based on the volume of 'awww's being emitted by my fellow cinema goers) Edward tells Bella over and over how wrong he is for her. His stance? "I want to end your life". Her response? A breathless "I trust you". It's Unhealthy Relationship 101 and all the teens and 'tweens were eating it up. While the vampire may have lots to recommend him (not the least of which is impeccable style--Edward's grey wool pea coat was my favorite part of the movie!) it's the fact that all your friends think he's wrong for you that makes him truly irresistable.

Now, if someone could just explain to me the appeal of Hannah Montana...