It’s a good time to be a vampire fan. HBO’s True Blood recently wrapped its first season with a suspenseful, gut-wrenching episode that left fans anxiously waiting for the show’s return next summer. On the big screen, the teen vampire love story Twilight has been raking in so much cash that a sequel is already in the works. On the surface these stories appear to have a lot in common, but fans know that they present two very different takes on the vampire mythos.
Both True Blood and Twilight revolve around young girls in small towns who find themselves falling for creatures of the night. However, these two girls couldn’t possibly be more different. Who is the better character, and who is the heroine young girls should be idolizing?
To figure out which leading lady is worthy of being a pop culture icon, let’s look at some facts.
She Fell for Her Vampire Boyfriend After:
True Blood‘s Sookie Stackhouse: She saved him from a couple of evil vampire haters.
Twilight‘s Bella Swan: He saved her from being crushed by an out of control van.
How’s Her Love Life?
Sookie: Bill, her vampire boyfriend, may be hundreds of years old, but Sookie treats him like an equal. She refuses to be afraid of him or his lifestyle.
Bella: Edward, her vampire boyfriend, may be hundreds of years old, but that doesn’t stop Bella from going on and on about how gorgeous he is. She’s even been known to swoon when he kisses her! This might be perfectly acceptable if Edward treated Bella decently, but he spends the entire book either chuckling condescendingly at every comment she makes, or treating her like crap so she won’t fall for his dangerous charisma.
Special Ability?
Sookie: She can read minds.
Bella: She falls down a lot.
Is She Close With Her Family?
Sookie: Her grandmother is the most important person in her life, though she doesn’t always get along with her sex-crazed brother, Jason.
Bella: Her dad is the most important person in her life, and she also keeps in close contact with her mother.
Best Qualities?
Sookie: She’s fiercely independent and capable of standing up for herself.
Bella: She’s intelligent and down-to-earth.
Worst Qualities?
Sookie: A tendency to run into dangerous situations without thinking.
Bella: A tendency to run into dangerous situations without thinking; low self-esteem; an inability to walk without falling; a constant need to be rescued; a habit of forgetting her friends exist when she has boy trouble; neither independent or able to stand up for herself.
If Her Man Left Her, She Would:
Sookie: Stress over it for a while, then make out with the hot bartender.
Bella: Mope for months, then fling herself off a cliff.
Will She Have Sex Before Marriage?
Sookie: Yes, she indulges in some wild nights with Bill that leave her with fang marks.
Bella: No, Edward refuses to have sex with her for fear of hurting her. Bella wants him to turn her into a vampire to solve this problem, because living isn’t particularly important to her.
Can She Protect Herself?
Sookie: She can if she has to, but the men in her life are very protective of her.
Bella: In the movie, she actually maces someone and knees a guy in the crotch. In the book, she’s a useless damsel who always waits for Edward to save her. He also constantly reminds her that she’s incapable of taking care of herself, squashing her already miniscule amount of self-esteem.
Should Young Girls Idolize Her?
Sookie: Yes. Sookie is strong, independent, always willing to speak her mind, and able to balance friends, family, work and romance.
Bella: No. Bella is weak, klutzy, inconsiderate, whiny, and ditches her friends the instant she has man trouble. She’s the last person a young girl should look up to.
– Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Images courtesy of Summit Entertainment, HBO)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
