Why Women Love Vampires

[Bizz]

Well, thats your issue then, GH. I, for one, do not have issues with homosexuality and frankly, am not really sure I want to go that direction in this thread.

Forgive me for having an opinion...... call it "an issue" if putting other people's opinions in a box helps you ignore opinions if you will.

I've read and very much enjoyed your posts for a long time now sbk, I'm somewhat saddened by your turning to this level of argument.

Just remember, as long as you don't hurt anybody, or talk badly about them, or take advantage of them, you'll always be disappointedly dull.

By the same token, some men are from West Venus and some are from East Mars. These men rarely get along with women from Venus or Venice.

In fact, these men rarely get along with women at all. Women are not from any place like Venice or Venus. Men are only from Mars during football season. Men, women, mars, Venus, or whatever, men and women should look at the opposite sex as individuals, not stereotypes.

Me i think most men do not know what a g spot is.

[F1fanatic]

I'm happy to justify the comment. Let's start with a couple of links.

Contrast what the fashion industry is giving us, and what men vote for.

No your deluding yourself GH..... Nothing at all that could be misconstued as a 'Gay Aesthetic"

And the argument, unless you've missed it, is Gay men dominate the fashion industry and dictate the 'Gay Aesthetic' that we see as skinny, adolescent boyish women.

I'd decided not to reply as this is off topic, but seeing as others have - I might as well put my tuppence worth in!

I did check the 2 websites you mentioned but, whilst the first was obviously the source of your posts, I couldn't see that it provided any evidence to back up their view that the current trend for v skinny women is the result of a gay plot (which as far as I can see is what the belief boils down to)! As I said before (and another poster has also said), why on earth would gay men care about how women look?

I will also repeat the other points I made earlier as they were not addressed -

"I think it is far more likely that the fashion industry use thin women 'cos it shows their clothes off better - it is far easier to make clothes look good on a stick insect than a larger woman!"..... Clothes just hang better on a thin woman than a bigger woman. People in the fashion industry want to sell clothes, magazines or whatever - but it boils down to the fact that they want to sell something - to women, NOT gay men!

The second website showed lots of pictures of asexual women. OK, but the models are selling clothes to women - so how does this promote any gay agenda?

Finally (and more importantly 'cos its back on topic!) - I'm still waiting for an explanation as to how True Blood promotes gays??!!

[Ijustwannateach]

Not quite right SBK.... The corollary you draw is your own logic not mine.

My argument is of Gay men in the fashion industry promoting a Gay aesthetic in their choice of female models. Skinny, asexual and adolescent boyish looking (Contrast this with the full figured women hetrosexual men vote for in men's magazines).

But following your point about Gay men not being interested in women – Well yes precisely that - Skinny, asexual and adolescent boyish looking women.

But like I say, the second link I have posted demonstrates I’m imagining all this, those women absolutely do not look like adolescent boys!

I think you're projecting here, a little, GH- just because 'if' you were a gay man YOU might like skinny, asexual, adolescent types doesn't mean all gays only or necessarily like that type!

And for those who do, I doubt it has much to do with women who look like that...

I think fashion has long since left the world of normality and anything that would be 'normal' for most people in terms of healthy attraction, anyway. Even the models find it difficult to be in the right 'shape.'

[lange]

No idea if that is true or not GH but don't you think that people are generally capable of making their own decisions and their own minds up? If people found it offensive they do have the ability to push that little button on the remote control.

I'm in agreement with Phil on this. And yes you can find any number of postings on the internet arguing all angles on True Blood and what it's message is.

But these things absolutely do matter.

But I would not disagree with your point that hetrosexuality dominates the mainstream media, likewise it does matter to question the message.

Let's take the waif like models strutting the catwalk as an example - There is a clear link between the image of skinny women being thrust on us and body dismorphia among women and young girls, too often with tragic results.

That image of women is a direct example of a gay aesthetic - boyish, sexless looking women - Rants and raves against men dictating that image ignore the proven preference of hetrosexual men for women with fuller figures.

The images being presented do matter, they do change opinions, social norms and personal/social expectations.

Sorry SBK, I agree entirely that this thread should not be reduced to arguing about gays! But.... I think GH needs to justify this post.

Agree entirely that the media encourages women to be extremely thin (by always using them in fashion photos), and this leads to tragic results. But, as you say, this is not a look that the majority of men prefer. HOWEVER, to go on to imply that this is down to a gay aesthetic seems a stretch too far!

I think it is far more likely that the fashion industry use thin women 'cos it shows their clothes off better - it is far easier to make clothes look good on a stick insect than a larger woman! I can't be alone in thinking that GH's view that "this look is pursued 'cos gays want to promote boyish, sexless looking women" is somewhat unlikely - why on earth would they care a fig about how a woman looks??! (I doubt that there are too many gay women in fashion.)

I hope this doesn't sound as if I'm attacking you GH, it certainly wasn't intended that way.

Getting back on topic, I would genuinely like to hear why you believe True Blood is "a platform promoting gay rights".

If you would like to reply to my comments re. gays, please PM me (or perhaps start a new thread) as it is definitely off topic!

wow .i would say this topic totally win

[MrHammer]

Interesting discussion!

I think it's true that the fashion industry ideal of what a woman should look like, isn't what most heterosexual men like. I am too young to have lived trough that time, but I always thought women in older movies from the 50's and 60's were very hot:

or a recent specimen :

The woman ideal in media back then was for sure more curvy and feminine, just how I like it! Long hair, wide hips, slim waist, round butt! Today what many think is attractive I don't:

Way to skinny and no hips.. It also seems like hair fashion changed to having shorter hair and clothes which are more masculine.

The same thing could probably be said for male ideals, were back then the male actors looked more rugged while now it's pretty boys.

I dont know about the vampire thing, haven't watched it a lot, but I thought it was mostly a teenage thing. One thing an ex-girlfriend of mine said in the past, was that many young girls are intimidated by masculinity and real men, that's why boybands and vampires like this appeal to them. Maybe if grown women are also attracted to the same look, it means that they also have a problem with masculine men?

[Wolfie]

Well back on Topic... Why Women Love Vampires (nothing to do with homo/hetro sexuality or how the fashion industry portrayed ladies 50 years ago)

The Traditional Vampire story "Dracula" was more of a romance story than a horror story, a story of lost love and a longing for his true love. As we know, the ladies like a good love story

Since then, many Vampire stories have had a 'love story' undertone, very few vampire movies are pure horror/action. Also depending on the story/flavour, the Vampire "Kiss" (taking of blood) is a very supposed to be lustful and pleasurable experience, akin to a sexual encounter. Maybe also Vampires are seen as powerful predators so there maybe some element of the "Dominated and seduced by power" to the fascination for the blood suckers

Most cultures have some kind of 'vampiric' legend or myth buried in there. There are also some real-life creatures that need the blood of others to survive/breed - what i am curious about is where these legends/myths originally started. As most of you know, I’m kinda into Vampires

[sbk]

bit slow there Wolfie. I wondered when you'd pop in

[Wolfie]

I've been lurking in the shadows

[NamNam]

Hm, vampires...

Well, I'm not really into them, not that much, not yet anyway, but have watched several movies about vampires (the original Nosferatu - what a bore!, the Bram Stoker-thing - better... ect ect, I think Van Helsing was the best 'till now...). I've been meaning to watch the Twilight movies but been hesitant since they are mostly teenage-things and even though I have a teenage daughter, she's not into anything romantic and she has said she doesn't want to watch them, so I'm doomed not to ever see them... (Unless they come on dvd... )

I think it is generally perceived that a large group of men keeping to themselves and having close relations and a "secret code" amongs each other are quite often regarded in some way as "gayish". Since men are supposed to be loners who take care of their own business all alone and stand on their own feet and ask for help from no-one, so men who defy this concept are not the norm. Perhaps this is reason why vampire men are often mistaken for gay men. - I think that is more or less bull.

I've known a few gay men in my life and they possess none of the qualities that are mostly given to vampire men: ruggish, wild, sexual, even violent... Mostly gay men are just plain "girlish" - not ment to offend anyone (the gay men that I know are very sweet and dear friends!).

Just think back, how the legends of vampires have changed with the changing of societies: 100-200 years ago vampires were regarded as evil vile creatures that drunk blood and killed innocent people, while nowadays they are glorofied and made into glamorous beings. Doesn't that mean that our society has changed? About 200 years ago life was still hard and one had to work hard to make a living, and perhaps (I know people are going to crusify me for this generalization!) men were more men and women were more women. A blood-sucking creature was plain horror. - In our modern day society, when life is relatively easy and the gender roles have eased up, women look for "ultimate males" in the forms of vampires (who are virtually immortal, ageless, never get fat or tired, sexually virile ect); and men too, look for "ultimate females" (not necessarily from vapire-stories but other).

I haven't actually researched this topic, but is the majority of vampire story-writers male or female? Are their vampire stories directed in general towards men or women?

As a woman myself, I would say that if I ever wrote a vampire story, I would direct it towards women just because there isn't much (enough) literature for women (not including the romance novels = they are not literature! they are just fun-reading!).

[LadyHeather]

I think the article is a load of <deleted>. But then I always find these kinds of pop psychology attempts at divining the human psyche in 700 words or less total idiocy.

[camerata]

Personally, I love vampire romance because the romance is amplified by the vampire's supernatural powers and rather tragic situation (i.e. living forever when his true love must age and die - or become undead). Who could ever forget Gary Oldman saying to Winona Ryder, "I have crossed oceans of time to find you."

What woman wouldn't want that kind of devotion?

[NamNam]

That is a good point, camerata, about the supernatural powers amplifying the romance.

A regular mere mortal guy would propably say: "Honey, I was stuck in traffic and that's why I'm late but I'm here now, so how about a kiss?"

[sbk]

some rather asinine, crude and trollish posts have been removed. Lets keep it polite thanks

[camerata]

Personally, I don't really buy the gay angle. I think women like vampires because they are powerful and exotic... and offer a VERY long relationship! The vampires themselves may look foppish, well-groomed and have finely-chiselled features, but I think that and the attraction is more a matter of their aristocratic origin going back to Bram Stoker's novel.

Watching the afternoon show of Twilight: New Moon yesterday, I couldn't help noticing that there was an audible gasp from the ladies in the audience when the werewolf hunk took his shirt off, but silence when the vampire did the same.

Come on ladies, who would you rather be ravished by? Jacob...

or Edward...?

[Wolfie]

The whole Vampire Diaries and Twighlight angle on Vampires just doesnt work for me...

Vampires walking around in the daylight? Vampires that glow a glittery gold in Daylight? C'mon, what next? Vampires that dont drink blood?

Hollywood seems to be taking a more "Teen Romance" angle to the whole Vampire myth these days. Its like 90210 with fangs...

Vampires are supposed to be Dark and Mysterious, Dangerous and Alluring, Seductive and Powerful, they are supposed to be drinking peoples blood, not drinking the blood of rats and small animals.

I wish someone would give me a boat load of money, i would write and direct a Vampire Movie/TV series that would simply blow everyone away...