By Nicole Maguire ’13

Love stories between an undead geriatric and a teenage klutz, a shirtless werewolf and a mutant newborn, and a college grad and a sexually-sadistic millionaire with mommy issues – how did these taboo tales end up on the bestseller list?

The “Are you Into Vampires or Handcuffs” discussion sponsored by the Association of Lafayette Feminists and Gender and Sexuality Programming centered on why fantasy fiction like E. L. James’ 50 Shades of Grey and Stephanie Meyer’sTwilight have become such a cultural phenomenon.  

The characters in each of these novels are very similar because James began writing Twilight fan fiction. When her story gained enough popularity, she changed the names and distinctive traits of her characters and published her story as 50 Shades of Grey. Because of this commonality, the discussion had the same criticism that both female characters—Bella and Anastasia—are individuals who are incapable of “existing outside of a relationship.” Leading men Edward and Christian were criticized for their dominance and creepiness when evaluated in the context of real-life scenarios.

“My favorite part was the discussion about immortality,” said Programming Coordinator for the Office of Gender and Sexuality Charnelle Pinkett ‘13. “People may be drawn to these books because it takes away much of our daily struggles like sickness and death.”

Older audiences—including college students—can use these books as an escape to a world of fantasy and pleasure without getting taken in by the accelerated and implausible love stories.

However, the controversy lies in the unrealistic impressions this “fantasy fiction” is giving younger generations of what it means to be in a relationship and how healthy relationships should function.

“As someone who knows at least five couples who are getting married or [have] gotten married within this past year, who are of my peer age group—this is really happening,” said Pinkett. “It just shows how much pop culture can influence our lives even though we may not be consciously thinking about it.”