Why women ditch Prince Charming for vampires
The other day I was reading a post from DarkFaery Subculture Magazine that brought up many intriguing points explaining why girls and women today are looking for vampire lovers. The ideas expressed in the post were so incredibly accurate and simple that I’m amazed I did not consider this before. The original post’s main topic of discussion is why there are no (or very little) ugly vampires in media… but then the discussion delves into love and why vampires offer the undying love that every girl or woman dreams of, hence the subsequent obsession with finding a vampire soul mate. And because vampires don’t exist, the only way to vicariously live out this immortal love experience is to worship fictional vampires like Edward Cullen. (Because in reality, I think very few women are attracted to the actor Robert Pattinson, sans broody vampire personality.)
It used to be that girls and women would dream of their own Prince Charming who would come sweep them off their feet and then they would live out their perfect lives together. Prince Charming was dashing, charismatic, good-looking, moral… pretty much the all-around perfect man. It’s a wonder when fanged, pale, soulless creatures of the night arrived and kicked Prince Charming out of the picture.
There’s even a Facebook group called, “Because of Edward Cullen, human boys have lost their charm.” What’s the tagline here? … That “every girl deserves an Edward.”
Now why are females dropping their dreams with Prince Charming in favor of the complete antithesis? … A dark, secretive and ultra-complicated relationship with a man who definitely has issues, and with at times uncontrollable propensities towards acts of evil?
Because it seems that the powerful idea of love for eternity draws women in like a potent drug. Vampires offer what Prince Charming can’t. Prince Charming will give you a love for a lifetime. Vampires provide love and devotion for this lifetime… and the next… and the next… it’s not a joke when the vampire lover says that he will be with you and love you forever.
There’s also a perceptible difference in the types of love offered by each. Prince Charming’s innately good nature assures you that his love is the most beautiful and pure in the world; that form of love is truly admirable and in a sense places the female object of his affection on a sort of pedestal. He admires her and loves her with a gentle goodness and song in his heart. Should he lose her, Prince Charming would spend the rest of his days in mourning and never be able to find another to make him happy again. Yes, we can look at this and say it is true love.
… However, contrast this with how a vampire would love his soul mate. A vampire’s love is burning, passionate and ceaseless. Nothing can stop him from being with the one he loves and his desire for her will never end. The vampire and his lover are on the same plane (as opposed to the pedestal) because he sees her as part of himself. He lived a mediocre existence before her and is only truly able to find happiness now, only because he has found her. If he were to be separated from his love, he could never truly be happy. In fact, should he lose her, in all likelihood he would take his own life in order to avoid suffering for eternity without she who makes him complete.
The true difference in the love of Prince Charming vs. the love of a vampire is that ultimately Prince Charming could still find happiness somehow after separation from his true love. Whereas a vampire’s love is so all-consuming that happiness cannot exist without his lover. Does this seem like the healthiest sort of love to have? Probably not. But it is the type of love that will promise any female devotion for eternity, which is perhaps why females don’t mind the darker bend on it. It’s so strong it’s like an addiction, which is reminiscent of Edward Cullen quotes to Bella (his soul mate):
“I don’t have the strength to stay away from you anymore.”
“I hate you for making me want you so much.”
“You don’t know how long I’ve waited for you.” (… and since he’s a vampire, it’s been a freaking long time.)
“It’s your scent. It’s like a drug to me. It’s like you’re my own personal brand of heroin.”
And why is it that vampires experience love with so much of their heart and soul (despite not really having one)? Why is it that they can resort to actions that may be deemed immoral or evil except when it comes to love? To answer this we will have to consult words of wisdom from my favorite fanged baddie, Spike (from Buffy), who despite being soulless was able to express love in its most devoted and beautiful state…
Spike: “You’ll be in love ’til it kills you both. You’ll fight, and you’ll shag, and you’ll hate each other ’til it makes you quiver… Real love isn’t brains, children. It’s blood. It’s blood screaming inside you to work its will. I may be love’s b*tch, but at least I’m man enough to admit it.”
I think the best contrast to make is comparing Ellie and Carl’s love in Disney-Pixar’s UP with that of Bella and Edward in Twilight. Both are obviously very powerful, but very different. I think right now I’m dreaming of the latter, but who knows in a few year’s time…
