Bloodsuckers and bra burners

Vampires are sucking the life out of American girls.

While the mythical creatures might not exist in reality, they certainly have a very real impact on our modern society.

The obsession with vampires is not new. There’s been an allure about the bloodsuckers since Bram Stoker created his iconic villain.

Since then, countless film adaptations and legends persisted throughout the years until every middle-aged woman’s fantasy finally came true when they got to see Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Antonio Banderas show off their fangs as the creatures in the 1994 film version of the novel “Interview With the Vampire.”

However, our recent obsession with vampires is a new kind of fascination.

We no longer see the horror that once attracted us — the killing machines that sleep in coffins have been replaced by lustrous hunks with six-packs. Our mania revolves around a hyper-sexualized version of the monster.

So, what’s the danger in having a little fun and getting our jollies from a different source once in a while? The hazard is the threat to modern feminism.

The thrill in vampires comes from the machismo they ooze and use to have women simply fall into their laps. Women have been reduced to lowly beings who gladly throw themselves at the hungry men for masochistic pleasure.

Perhaps the most prominent example of our bloody addiction is the “Twilight” series, with the first portion of the last film due out in a few weeks (cue squeals). In the last installment of the trilogy alone, we see rampant antifeminism in the basic plot structure.

The female protagonist, Bella, is about to give birth to a vampire child, and the parasitic fetus is killing her from the inside. The general idea of a woman dying for her unborn child already evokes images of frontier days when women were expected to accept the risk of death in order to extend the family lineage.

To make matters worse, the only way Bella can be saved is for her glistening vampire husband to rescue her and turn her into a vampire, too. She is completely helpless and guaranteed death — unless a man chooses to rescue the damsel in distress.

The misogyny of the “Twilight” series does not begin with the third book. As Leonard Sax of the Washington Post observed, “Bella is regularly threatened with violence in the first three books, and in every instance she is rescued by Edward or Jacob. In the third book she describes herself as ‘helpless and delicious.’”

Clearly, we are harming the feminist agenda. So, why can’t we just enjoy the abs, blood and sex and look past pitfalls? Why can’t we just have a little fun?

First, modern media is too ridden with the same misshapen ideals to enjoy the sexy monster idea for its intrinsic value. “Twilight” is not the only vampire media out there.
“True Blood” continues to have a strong fan base, “The Vampire Diaries” is in its third season and even “Teen Wolf” has turned into a hypersexual television drama.

Secondly, the following that gobbles this media is far too young and impressionable to simply brush off the antifeminism.

The ideals portrayed will permeate their young skin and forever change them.
It seems melodramatic, but children do as they see, especially if their friends do it, too.
You may have noticed the younger generation is fond of worshipping the sexy sepulchral. It is a true cultural movement that involves mostly children (especially females) under the age of 14 lapping it up in a group effort. The odds are against feminism.

We need to stop undermining the feminist principles that so many have fought hard for and stray away from teaching our culture that women are built for sex, sandwiches and baby-making. If feminism is going to go down, it better not lose to something as dumb as vampires.

If you can’t get enough of monsters, at least watch quality programming like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”  That’s an example of a strong female in control — that girl could really kick some bloodsucking butt.

­— sjostrow@indiana.edu