How Ancient Vampires Explored the Fear of Female Sexuality

A look at how vampires have sunk their fangs into the vein of human sensuality since before written record.

Seductive and fatal, vampires have long enchanted their way into popular culture and our collective psyche. Take Edward Cullen from the Twilight saga, a pallid, forlorn teenager who not only falls for the new girl in school but has an irresistible blood lust for her. Twilight fans ravenously consumed the vampire media, and New Moon broke box office midnight opening records with $26.3 million. Fans broke that record again when Eclipse was released and earned $30 million the first night. Even from behind the theater screen, it appears that vampires have the power to compel our behavior.

The popularity of the Twilight saga also brought a fair amount of debate and criticism for its portrayal of sex and gender. Bella pines for Edward, seeking to be with him sexually while she’s still human. But Edward denies her desires, insisting that sex is dangerous, he could hurt her, and they should get married first. After a rushed romance, Bella, an 18-year-old, marries Edward so she can have sex with him and is turned into a vampire soon after. Throughout the narrative, Bella is at the whim of Edward’s decisions. Many feminist scholars regarded Bella as a…