SUPER SPARKLY MALE SAVIOR...ISN'T THAT WHAT WE WOMEN WANT?

       The heroine in the story is a quiet loner who secretly dreams of meeting the perfect guy—one she is “destined” to be with.  She moves to a new school, where she feels alone and isolated.  She meets the mysterious boy, who seems aloof and uninterested.  Through a series of traumatic events, he comes to her aid where they get to know each other on a more intimate level.  He harbors a deep dark secret, and as he finally confides to her, she understands and accepts him as only she could.  But wait!  Something happens that forces them apart and their love is tested. He leaves, and she is alone and heartbroken.  She cannot survive without his love in her life.  She is put in danger and he returns just in the nick of time for her salvation.  He declares his undying devotion and they live happily ever after knowing they were destined to be together.

            I have just described all three novels of the Twilight Book series written by Stephanie Meyer.  There is the shy girl who feels isolated and alone.  There is the mysterious boy with the secret only he can share with her.  She is put in harm’s way, and he swoops in to rescue her at just the right moment.  He feels that he needs to save her from his past, and he goes away, only to be reunited together when they realize that they were meant to be together.  He saves her repeatedly, and his love transforms her into the person she was meant to be, and they ultimately live (or in the Twilight books, unlive) together for all time.  Plot settings and ancillary characters may vary, but it is the same romantic trope that has been tested and tried over and over again.  The same could be said with the series of books called “The Caster Chronicles”, written by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.  Oh, sure, the heroine in these books is the supernatural one, but the theme is the same: there is a male hero saving the day and proving his true love and devotion to the heroine.

            And you know what?  Millions of teenage girls EAT. THIS. UP.  I mean, let’s face it: wouldn’t it be great if there was that one and only someone that could sweep us (meaning the female persuasion) off our collective feet and make all of our dreams come true?  And here’s why this is so wrong:  IT DOESN’T HAPPEN.  Nope, not at all.  There are no knights in shining (or sparkly) armor that will come and take us away to bliss.  Yet, young adult authors keep churning these types of books out, because there is a huge market for this kind of monomyth.  It doesn’t matter if the hero is really a vampire, witch, or even a zombie. “He” will always save the day.  So, what type of message are we sending to our young and highly impressionable girls?  Do we really want to consciously impart that only a male savior will make their problems go away?  Do we really want them to believe that true love is “predestined” if only you wait and pray long and hard enough?  Do we really want them to believe that only a boyfriend can be their savior and defend them from the big, bad villains in their lives? 

      Realistically, this type of romantic genre is not a new thing (can you feel me, Jane Eyre?).  And here’s another fact:  it works.  I have to admit, I read the Twilight series of books (for curiosity’s sake, honest!) and when I read the last one, “Breaking Dawn,” I was astonished how disturbing they actually were—come on, Edward delivers his own child while Bella lay dying by the birth, and then rescues her again by biting her to get their child out, thereby making her immortal?  I think the most offensive plot point is the one where Jacob sees Bella and Edward’s child for the first time and is “imprinted”: meaning, in werewolf speak, this child is predestined to be with him (and how creepy this was—a grown man looking at a baby and seeing his future with her).  When the Twilight movies premiered, there were hordes of tweens and their mothers waiting in line to get tickets.  “Twi-moms” even have websites devoted to the Edward Cullen and Bella Swan love story (Goodale, 2010).  It’s insane, and you really have to wonder what these grown women are thinking.  That this type of love story actually happens, even on a non-supernatural level?  And, by our mass acceptance and consumption of this type of romantic unreality is the message we handing down to our female future selves?

            I personally want to see the Young Adult books were the girl saves herself.  I want to see novels that present difficulties and life struggles in which the girl addresses honestly and realistically.  I want to read where the girl doesn’t need some type of mythical male champion to ride in to make her life better, and that she understand it is only up to her to make it alright.  I want to see her be her own savior, because, that’s real life folks.  And, I’m sure there are books out there right now that are written just like that…but who’s reading them?

References

Goodale, G. (2010, June 28). Twilight Moms: Why Women are Draw to Teens' "Eclipse". Retrieved from Christian Science Monitor: http://www.csmonitor.com/