Out With the Aughts: Abstinent Vampires Are the New Black
Vampires have had a startling resurgence of late, crawling out of the coffin-like obscurity of black-and-white filmography to terrorize contemporary popular culture. Television series such as True Blood and Vampire Diaries have become hugely popular, to say nothing of the uncontested lord of neo-Nosferatu culture – Stephenie Meyer’s book-turned-movie series Twilight.
This year, the second film instalment of the series, New Moon, came out to record-breaking box-office numbers. But it didn’t just contribute to the usual teenage pop consumption, the frustratingly reserved girl-meets-vampire love story gave teens a valuable lesson: don’t have sex.
Love-struck fictional teenagers Bella Swan and Edward Cullen have cast their pale, brooding spell over cosmetics customers across Canada.Retail stores are reporting a surge of demand for vampire-influenced makeup on the heels of the popular Twilight series.
Jane McKay, a senior artist with MAC Cosmetics in Toronto, says younger customers bewitched by the pallid lovers aren’t coming for bronzer anymore. They want lighter foundation and pale powder. MAC will be launching a Pale ‘n Dandy trend this spring to respond to the demand.
“I definitely think (Twilight) is where it started,” McKay says.
“They’re really influenced. They’re in love with Bella, and they love the story, and I think it’s almost crossed over into their real lives.”
2009: The Year of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon”
For Twilight fans at least, the year 2009 was invariably the year of The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Of course, in the beginning, there was still a fair amount of Twilight excitement lingering, what with fans continuing to see the film in theaters (or, let’s be honest, on the internet) time and time again and DVD release parties across the country. Yet, the principle attention-grabber in our world was New Moon.
At first, it was casting. There were quite a few roles to fill for New Moon, and we anxiously waited for those announcements to trickle down the pike. It started with Bronson Pelletier, who was rumored to have scored a part in the wolfpack. Then there was Dakota Fanning, who her co-stars were supporting for the part of “Jane.” Then a few photos of the current wolfpack out and about led to even more rumors. Finally, the announcement came out and it was time to inspect.
‘Twilight’ sequel ‘New Moon’ has been voted the best movie of 2009 in a new poll.
Conducted by AOL movie Web site Moviefone.com, heartthrob Robert Pattinson took away the title for Sexiest Male star, with 46.5pct votes, while co-star Taylor Lautner was named Best Male Breakout star.
‘New Moon’ was also ranked as the year’s champ “chick flick.”
I find it the impact that Stephenie Meyer’s books have had to be unbelievably fascinating. To have young girls waiting for “the right guy” to have sex because of what they’ve read in her books is a cultural coup! Throw in the fact that girls are going for a paler complexion because of the characters in the books and movies, and we may see a generation of healthier people in the future – fewer STDs, a reduction in the teen pregnancy rate, and reduced skin cancer rates from increased use of sunscreen and girls staying out of tanning beds.
I enjoyed reading Examiner’s look back at the year and all things “New Moon”. It was fun to follow the production of the film this year. It’s hard to believe that “Eclipse” has already been shot and is in post-production.
What do you think about today’s Twilight Saga news? Share your thoughts in our forum.
