Vampires aside, it's really just a simple love story.
The
reason teenage girls have fallen hard for the Twilight book and film
series has to do with its portrayal of a traditional, romantic
relationship, new research from the University of Missouri shows.
In
the series, vampire Edward Cullen doesn't want to harm or bite his teen
love interest Bella Swan, which means they can't have sex.
"With
teens, we actually found that they appreciated the messages of
abstinence," said Melissa Click, an assistant professor of
communication who surveyed 4,000 Twilight fans, aged 11 to 70.
Click
and her co-authors' research primarily addresses the reasons behind the
teenage-madness for Twilight, a four-book series with two films so far.
The
Missouri research found that many teen girls — who make up the core of
Twilight's audience, along with a few moms — are drawn to the story
about love beyond the physical.
"The media environment is
saturated with teens in sexual relationships," said Click, who plans to
publish the findings next spring in a collaborative book Bitten by
Twilight: Youth culture, media and the vampire franchise.
"(Twilight)
does provide something different for girls. I've had girls say to me,
'I'm going to wait for my Edward.' And they think that's really cool."
Source: Vancouver Sun
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Lack+attracts+teen+girls+Twilight+series+study/2238456/story.html