Summary: In “(Un)safe Sex: Romancing the Vampire,” professional copywriter Karen Backstein, explores the interest of vampire movies in the 21st century and changes made to keep the genre relevant. Backstein believes society and humankind are evolving and rapidly changing, vampires are also evolving so that they can survive and continue to interest people in popular culture. Modern vampires, Backstein notes, work to control their impulses so as not to harm the ‘heroine’, who is strong, resourceful, and smart (38). In her essay, Backstein begins by explaining what exactly vampires in popular culture have become. She explains that the up-to-date vampire is one of self-discipline, about man attempting to ace his most noticeably awful driving forces
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“They are female-centered narratives that strive for audience identification with the heroine—with her strength, her extraordinary capabilities, her status as an object of desire, or a combination of all these traits. She is the focus of the story, whether she’s narrating it or the active visual center of the screen image” (38). This is the reason modern vampire movies have begun to really interest women. It gives them a sense of ‘girl power’ when they know the main character holds these qualities and can stand up for themselves against dangerous things. Vampire narratives in the past have portrayed women to be helpless and un-able to defend themselves. Not only do male protagonists vastly outnumber females in most narratives, but also gender-stereotyped portrayals dominate. By giving a female a protagonist/ dominate role, it attracts more audiences that involve …show more content…
However, the most scaring nightmare was when she encountered a cat that bit her in the neck, later revealing Carmilla at the foot of her bed in a bloody gown. Although she was badly hurt and disabled, she looked past her traumatizing experience. “Although I felt very weak, I did not feel ill; and strength, one always fancies, is a thing that may be picked up when we please.” This quote shows how Laura was putting what happened to her in the past and looking to get better and stronger after she was weakened by Carmilla. Most characters like her in vampire literature would be scarred for life and not able to recover from an encounter with a vampire. But Laura persevered, giving the reader a sense of her great strength and remarkable capabilities that is inspiring to not only just an audience, but more specifically women. Laura is not the best example, but a good example as to why women are drawn to vampire movies that include women protagonists who are strong and
“They are female-centered narratives that strive for audience identification with the heroine—with her strength, her extraordinary capabilities, her status as an object of desire, or a combination of all these traits. She is the focus of the story, whether she’s narrating it or the active visual center of the screen image” (38). This is the reason modern vampire movies have begun to really interest women. It gives them a sense of ‘girl power’ when they know the main character holds these qualities and can stand up for themselves against dangerous things. Vampire narratives in the past have portrayed women to be helpless and un-able to defend themselves. Not only do male protagonists vastly outnumber females in most narratives, but also gender-stereotyped portrayals dominate. By giving a female a protagonist/ dominate role, it attracts more audiences that involve …show more content…
However, the most scaring nightmare was when she encountered a cat that bit her in the neck, later revealing Carmilla at the foot of her bed in a bloody gown. Although she was badly hurt and disabled, she looked past her traumatizing experience. “Although I felt very weak, I did not feel ill; and strength, one always fancies, is a thing that may be picked up when we please.” This quote shows how Laura was putting what happened to her in the past and looking to get better and stronger after she was weakened by Carmilla. Most characters like her in vampire literature would be scarred for life and not able to recover from an encounter with a vampire. But Laura persevered, giving the reader a sense of her great strength and remarkable capabilities that is inspiring to not only just an audience, but more specifically women. Laura is not the best example, but a good example as to why women are drawn to vampire movies that include women protagonists who are strong and