Guest Author - Melissa Weise

So by now almost everyone knows the story of Bella and her vampire love from Stephenie Meyers’ popular vampire novel trilogy, the first of which has been made into a movie. Many really enjoy this story because of its great romantic story and others because of its adventure. On a more practical note, “Twilight” has great information to offer both guys and girls about what the opposite sex really desires because the story taps into universal desires of both genders.

WHAT GIRLS CAN LEARN
When girls are small, they are told stories of princesses who are saved by princes and there is something very attractive about those stories. In some ways, “Twilight” is that same story. Except with a vampire instead of a prince. For girls, the idea of being saved and protected is incredibly powerful and so we look for that in real life. The only problem is, no matter how much is appears to be that way, no real life person can really be another real life person’s savior for an entire relationship. That’s because we are all just human.

So, when you are choosing a partner, if you realize this fact you won’t be lured into a disappointing trap of thinking that another person can protect and save you all the time and if they don’t, they must not really love you. That works for princes…and vampires…but not too well for humans. In reality, sometimes you will save him and sometimes he will save you and sometimes no one will save anyone but if you care about each other, that’s all that matters.

A second lesson girls can learn about love from “Twilight” is what guys are attracted to in girls. Bella is a strong and intelligent person and Edward enjoys his discussions with her as much as how pretty she is. So remember, substance as well as style is what guys are attracted to in girls.

WHAT GUYS CAN LEARN
Since “Twilight” is incredibly popular with girls, guys can learn a lot about what girls want from this story. No, they don’t want you to be able to live forever to drink blood but they do place a lot of weight on your ability to retrain yourselves and be loyal. Edward is incredibly loyal to Bella in this story and is willing to sacrifice his own strong physical desires for her well being. This takes strength and a willingness to put your partner’s desires before you own and listen to his or her needs and desires.

Secondly, girls do place importance on looks. Edward’s skin “glitters” and girls will often remember this from the story because girls often like physically attractive things. This means that showering and dressing nicely are pretty important even if they seem superficial.

Finally, Bella is attracted to Edward’s intelligence, wit and conversation. This is important to her and an important trait to nurture in yourself.

In conclusion,“Twilight’s” popularity speaks to how much it resonates with teens everywhere and that is something we can learn from.