Journey to…
Can you believe it? My vacation is over today! If all went well, I should be spending the day wandering around the ancient sites of Rome. ROME!!! And what is even more amazing is that I have all these writer friends who willingly and without hesitation agreed to write a guest post for me while I was gone.
Today, Neilochka, the original Citizen of the Month takes us on a journey into the land of darkness, fantasy and monsters. What better way to contemplate the horrors of the Colosseum or the caves of the Minotaur? OK. Maybe that’s Greece, but you know what I mean. It’s ancient stuff, these themes. And current. So there.
I should be back tomorrow with a little something… and lots of stories and pictures.
In the meantime, Heeeeeeeerrrrrreeee’s Neil!
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I’m squeamish. I used to faint when a nurse would take blood. I avoid most horror movies. I have never seen a “Jason” or “Scream” or “Saw” movie. Recently, I’ve noticed that women have gone gaga over the “Twilight” book series. Three of my blogging friends even use avatars of vampire women. I’ve always been curious over the attraction of women to vampires. I don’t usually associate women with enjoying blood and gore. I don’t see women clamoring over other stock horror characters, like mummies or headless horsemen. Why vampires?
Is it safe to say that Anne Rice transformed the genre and made it more female friendly? If you watch old vampire movies, like the famous Nosferatu, vampires are disgusting creatures. They are ugly, long-fingered blood suckers rising from the grave. In today’s movies, vampires look like Tom Cruise. What authors like Anne Rice did was to combine the horror of vampires with the melodrama of gothic romances. Vampires are now misunderstood bad boys.
Psychotherapist Lynda Hilburn, author of The Vampire Shrink, writes:
“There are several theories about the increase in sales of vampire romance,” Hilburn said. “A recent view is that women feel less safe and secure in the world, and the previous symbols of strong, semi-dangerous males — our law enforcement and military warriors — were replaced by supernatural beings. Indestructible supernatural beings. Unlike the undead, real flesh-and-blood men can be killed in war or through terrorist acts. Facing a frightening daily “reality” made escaping into magical worlds, filled with all-powerful, appealing immortals, a healthy coping mechanism.”
And despite their evil intentions, male vampires are energetic and ambitious. If they weren’t dead, they would make perfect and exciting husbands.
“Women in therapy often report disappointment with the ‘human’ males they’re in relationship with,” Hilburn said. “Would a handsome vampire sit in front of the television, scratching his stomach and drinking beer? Are women lusting after the undead Homer Simpson? Probably not. Imagining a heart-stoppingly-gorgeous man hovering outside your window is much more fun.”
Perhaps vampire movies are expressing something about the loves and fears of women. Women do not think that most men are naturally monogamous. They want to believe that a man’s love for a woman is so powerful that he is able to overcome this base instinct, changing him forever. What could be more symbolic of this type of man than a vampire? He has a blood lust. He is insatiable in his need for more blood. For him to fall in love with one woman, an action that could lead to his own destruction, is well, the stuff women get off on. If only real life was like that!
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A year ago (or longer) on This Journey…
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completely true…except for the boobs 2007
Reflections on NaBloPoMo 2007
Neilochka…I love you! 2006
waiting for light 2005
— — —
A year ago (or longer) on This Journey…
-
completely true…except for the boobs 2007
Reflections on NaBloPoMo 2007
Neilochka…I love you! 2006
waiting for light 2005
— — —
A year ago (or longer) on This Journey…
December 1st, 2008 at 4:10 pm
So true. Girls go crazy for Edward in Twilight because he’s so mysterious and only in love with Bella. Even if the relationship is pretty darn unhealthy when you really look at it.
churlitas last blog post..Once I Thought I Saw You In a Crowded Hazy Bar
December 4th, 2008 at 9:25 am
I concur. Women want the bad boys. They want them to remain slightly bad but conform to marriable standards while looking sexy doing so. Let’s face it - women are very difficult beings.