OK, this crusty old goat here would hate to be mistaken for someone who’s in touch with modern teen culture. I don’t have time to watch television or keep up with what’s popular, so forgive me if I’m, like, a week and a half behind the times. For instance, I did not realize the new movie in the Twilight saga was coming out this week, even though I’ve been hearing about it from the various teen girls who train at my dojo – Edward is an awfully popular name these days, I gather.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUjiOHA7GAo]
If you’d watched only the trailer you’d have missed this interesting plot element:
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 of the University of Missouri, who surveyed 4,000 Twilight fans.
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 newest movie, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, opens Friday, and has already broken Cineplex Theatres’ records by selling $1.5 million in advance tickets across Canada. The first film, Twilight, grossed more than $190 million in North America.
The research found that many teen girls — who make up the core of Twilight’s audience — are drawn to the story about love beyond the physical. “The media environment is saturated with teens in sexual relationships,” said Click. “(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.”
Indeed it is, and I’m delighted to hear that many girls and young women are getting the very important message that true love is a heck of a lot more than just casual sex, and that it is worth waiting for that special someone. I’ll make a point of reading the books… as soon as I’m done with the last Harry Potter tome (told you I wasn’t up to date).
by 
I was glad to hear that abstinence is upheld in the first two books of the series, and to hear that this message resonates with many teens.
Apparently, though, Edward doesn’t want to have sex with Bella because he might kill her. Um, not your typical romance. As well, I think that part of the popularity of Edward is the brooding, dark-around-the-eyes, mysterious male that he – literally – embodies. Girls waiting for “their Edward” could have a very long wait…