Thanks for the offer, but I’m really not that interested in my lips looking like they were “Just Bitten”. Modern society’s obsession with all things vampire-y these days is somewhat disconcerting. With today’s pre-teens, teens, and even some adults becoming totally enamored with the idea of their one true love (if there even is such a thing) being a flawless, sparkly, blood-sucking vampire, modern media and companies have taken the bait and are sucking everyone dry.
To be honest, I don’t really see the appeal of this sort of thing. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I can understand why the whole concept is alluring. I just don’t follow along with the Twi-hards and those of similar breeds.
I am relatively positive that this is only a fleeting fancy, and will blow over… eventually. Until then, though, a few words:
I’m getting sort of irritated with the people who think that the Twilight Saga is a piece of prime literature. Even the author, Stephenie Meyer, has noted that she is not as skilled of an author as other famed Young Adult Fiction writers such as J.K. Rowling. If the author of the series has realized that her work isn’t the greatest, her audience should realize it as well. As a high school student, one can imagine the amount of praise (and criticism, for that matter) that I hear Twilight receiving on an almost daily basis.
However, the Twilight series has definitely done some wonders for the recruitment of avid readers. And, as much as I hate to admit it, it’s not a bad gateway series. I read the series before it was getting a lot of attention (cue groans from the live studio audience in response to that very cliché remark), and I read it because the concept seemed interesting. When the first trailer for Twilight was released, the books started getting more attention. Like I said, if it gets more people interested in reading, it’s not a huge problem. I’d honestly choose a different series for someone to begin avid reading with (For example, the His Dark Materials series by Phillip Pullman. This was my favourite series as a little kid and I still re-read it from time to time. I’d most definitely recommend it.) but if it works, then so be it. The thing that bothers me (I repeat, yet again) is that it’s receiving too much praise. When it comes down to it, the books are a series of teen indulgences which are a product of someone who is an average writer. Nothing more, nothing less. It shouldn’t receive all of the praise it does, but it also shouldn’t receive the equal (if not higher) amount of negative criticism it does.
Final remarks: It’s a phase. Nothing long-lasting will come out of it, so just let it be what it is while it lasts. Don’t be rude to the people who like it; they’re being honest about their likes and interests, which is a truly admirable trait for most people. That goes for those who like the series as well: don’t be rude or inconsiderate to the people who don’t like the Twilight series and would rather read something else. It’s okay for one of you to be Team Vampire and the other of you to be Team Wizard. You can still be friends. Trust me.
Another thing that’s worth mentioning is the pop culture craze that has resulted from all of the vampire novels as of late. Everything from clothing to makeup to the obvious films have sprouted in lieu of the publication of sort of a sub-par genre. The Just Bitten Lipstain isn’t even a blood red colour of lip product, as you would expect from a product called “Just Bitten”. It doesn’t make you look like you were just bitten, it makes you look like you were born with very colourful lips. And with shade names such as Passion, Crave, and Forbidden, (which aren’t even legitimate names for shades of anything, since they don’t provide the colour of the product) the product feeds off of the modern youth’s determination to have an alluring, mysterious, caring, controlling, perfect-yet-imperfect, sparkling boyfriend. Actually, I think that companies have taken advantage of an obvious vulnerability that exists in many teens and adults today, and I don’t think that it’s okay. In my opinion, it seems as if Revlon is just making-over their old products with a new label and title so that it seems like the hot new product, when really it’s the same stuff that you’ve already got in your bathroom cabinet. It’s not hip, or new, but since it has to do with what everybody’s talking about, it seems like it’s exactly that. It’s a smart marketing move, and if an ad campaign sells it well enough, then almost anything can seem like the hot new item to own, but taking advantage of modern society’s obsession with all things vampire is kind of inconsiderate, for lack of a better term, when it’s used to increase revenue.
So that’s my two-cents. Until later!
Cheerio!
Molly
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