Buffy vs Edward (a look at gender rolls)

[Owd Scrat]

Creepy is sexy. Edward? Not so creepy or sexy. Though he does have this white charm. Don't get into this whole teen Twilight junk.

But the "Mostly on how girls drool over a guy who is possessive, manipulative, and stalkery, and how they want to be a girl who is passive, co-dependant and perpetually the damsel in distress.".....point. It goes very deep in our genes and roles. Deeper than most realize. It's not just modern crap or gender roles....fairytales. It goes way way back. Also goes way back into the surrender of primal love/lust at one of the most deepest levels. To be consumed, and to consume the beloved. To merge, meld and become the other.

[Djiril]

Originally Posted by TuathaSidhe

I'll end with, if you dont like this sorta stuff, then just dont watch it.

I don't like it exactly, but I do find it interesting as a cultural artifact, and I find myself reading/watching it (as well of wanting to observe the fandom and the hatedom) for that reason. If it wasn't popular, I doubt I'd care.

If you like it, that is your right, and yes, there is much worse stuff out there. This, for example.

However, I am unable to dismiss anything that is popular as "just a story" or having no deeper meaning.

I get just as annoyed at people who don't want to let me have my fun as any fan of the series does. If you don't like discussions where popular culture is taken apart and analyzed, don't participate in them.

[Owd Scrat]

Originally Posted by sarabethv

Thus, my questions about what does the enormous popularity (and you can't escape knowing about it) of this say about our society?

I would gather it means what it's always meant. Consider the millions upon millions of romance novels with just these themes read over and over everyday, lapped up eagerly by women. The romance genre pretty much fuels the entire publishing infrastructure with the income it generates (allowing most other books/genres to be even published). Women get off on men like this, always have. They may deny it, say it's only fantasy. Ok, whatever. They still buy it by the millions every month. You ever read one of those bodice rippers? Completely full of this sort of thing and has been for a loooong time.

[Njorun Alma]

*yawn* So... this is basically the "gender role" rant one could have about basically every frickin' book/movie these days?

Fairy tales, romantic comedies, thrillers... almost every single book deals with persistent and almost creepy guys and the pseudo self-secure woman who in the end actually needs to be saved by the guy she does want to be with but he is soo not good for her, but gosh he's dreamy and yadda yada yada yada yada yada.

Let's face it, if you want to keep kids and you girls away from "negative imprinting" lock them up without magazines, books and TV and throw away the key. Twilight is hardly one of the big problems out there.