OMG... you're dating a vampire too??

[As seen on the Wild West Coconut Show.]

I think we've all been a little horrified and fascinated by the spike in vampire media over the last decade. Twilight aside, the vampire theme is nothing new and has been haunting the Romance section of your local B&N for a good twenty years (at least). Vampire sex is hot, bloody, and apparently common, especially in the state of Louisiana, which is where Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire and the HBO series True Blood take place. But why vampires? And why so much gender bending, fetish-defying sex?

Vampires as a Sexual Symbol

Obviously something is lacking in our everyday relationships if we need to fantasize about the undead. Why else would women all across the US be devouring gory romance novels like chocolate? This could very well be due to the drastic change in gender roles that has encapsulated the last fifty years. Today's family life is a dim reflection of the nuclear family of the 50's. Women work full time and usually raise their children as divorced, single mothers. Whereas the role of women in the workplace has changed drastically, the role of women as homemakers has not, giving women a double-role in most households. The role of men, on the other hand, has hardly changed at all. Women are looking for something from men, and they're not finding it. What is this elusive trait that women hunger for, which men seem unable to supply? Is it emotional stability? Comfort? Longevity? Sexual prowess? Perhaps all of the above.

So what's the solution? Write lots and lots of books about immortal, stable, and dependable men who will love you unconditionally, and who also happen to be inhuman, which implies that they are capable of going over and beyond the limitations of what is "expected" of men. Strange that the responsibilities of most single young mothers also demand the "superhuman," the "impossible," the complete sacrifice of a young woman's personal life in order to create a family. Women still want men -- they just want stronger, smarter, sexier, and more emotionally secure men, also known as vampires.

But vampires aren't just a symbol in literature for men's failing role in the family; it's also a symbol for those lonely, conflicted individuals who long to enact their suppressed sexual urges, yet have not the courage to come out of the closet (or the basement.) Since vampires are so old, it's easy to imagine that they've slept with just about everything in every possible way. They've killed, plundered, and raped in every society throughout history. However, because they're undead "monsters" that "don't really exist" (unless you live in Louisiana), it's okay to fantasize about two gay vampires drinking each others blood as they kill innocent bystanders, and then having incredible sex, the likes of which you can never have with a "living" (or straight) person.

The Social Implications

So what is with the rise of fantasy and forbidden sex? What's with our fascination with a race of human-like creatures that have, literally, no boundaries? I am going to make a bold statement and say that American society is trying to reinvent itself. We are playing with the idea of being gay and trying to embrace a higher level of sexual tolerance, but it's too much to think about in real life, so we project it into fantasy novels, especially very sexy and bloody fantasy novels. Gender roles are unbalanced, and women are crying out to men for something more; bisexuals run rampant, and are afraid to admit it, even to themselves. As society upheaves itself and searches for a new norm, we have vampire novels to give us some sense of pleasure and freedom, and an arena in which to consider the hypothetical "release of boundaries" that the 21st century is demanding. Fantasy is not only socially engaged, but reinventing societal ideals as we speak, and the entire Harry Potter generation is here to testify. We like fantasy because we want something more than what we've been given: more opportunity, more idealism, more sexual self expression. Will we get it? Who knows -- but until then, I have a hot date with Eric Northman tonight, and I'm hoping to get a little bloody in his backseat, if you know what I mean.