Dangerous Twilight-inspired ‘Biting’ Trend Alarming Parents
posted by Terrica
The NY Daily News published the following article today. Had to share:
Teenagers inspired by Twilight sink fangs into each other in new ‘biting’ trend, parents fear risks
Twilight fanatics are sinking their teeth into something new these days – each other.
Teenagers inspired by the explosively popular vampire series, as well as shows like True Blood and the Vampire Diaries, are taking the fad one step further and exchanging real life ‘love bites.’
“It’s a way to belong to somebody and check their territory,” high school sophomore Pao Hernandez told CBS News.
Hernandez says couples at her school exchange blood with each other to prove their passion, and friends also give each other bites to demonstrate just how close they are.
“This is kind of the modern day version of the hickey,” said CBS Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton.
“But we have to remember, any time there’s a break in the skin, especially when you’re talking about the human mouth, it’s loaded with bacteria…You can set up for potentially some serious skin infections.”
The trend has parents across the country panicked, and not just about the germs.
“This really concerns me because it has to do with possession,” writes parenting blogger Vanessa Van Petten on her website. “We’re talking about something that’s about ownership, possessing your friends.”
Missy Wall, the Director of a Dallas outreach group for middle and high school students, says teenagers are using the bites as a new kind of status suymobl.
“It becomes a contest of who has the bite mark and then that means somebody cares about you or you’re in a relationship or you’ve been chosen, which is very similar to the movies.”
“Not only obviously are there physical consequences but psychosocial,” said Ashton. “This is a way of marking a person, and it is a form of emotional and physical abuse.”
But Twilight hunk Robert Pattinson doesn’t see the harm in a little friendly biting.
In a 2009 appearance on David Letterman, the vampire hearthrob recounted how a 230-pound man requested he sink his teeth into him at a the movie premiere.
“So I did,” Pattinson laughed. “And the surprising thing was I kinda liked it.”
Well ladies and gents, what do you think about this one? Alarmed? Freaked-out? Enraged? I’m sippin’ on a toxic emotional cocktail of all THREE… Can’t wait to hear YOUR thoughts.
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http://www.shannonethridge.com/products.shtml
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WOW — scary! Thanks for keeping us updated on teen trends so we can talk to our kids about this kind of stuff.
All this talk of Twilight, I read this online just now:
Dear Twilight Fans,
Thank you for making us look sane and well-adjusted.
Sincerely,
Trekkies
LOL!!! For real though!
Don’t want to be repetitive (or argumentative), but this pretty much sums it up for me, why I don’t read them (just read this online on same site):
Dear Twihards,
Please understand you are asking the world to choose between necrophilia and beastiality.
Sincerely, Not-A-Fan
LOL!
AHH! This sounds just crazy!
Is everyone stupid!!!!
twilight is not the cause people were biting each other before that you just want to blame it on that & just notice I graduated two years ago when twilight was starting to get big well guess what like five years ago people were doing that!!!
in twilight they dont bite people they bite animals stephanie meyers book is all about love! are people going to start shredding clothes and parents blame it on twilight cause the wolves I dont think so maybe if everyone paid more attention they would know!!!
gosh this world is stupid!!! just cause something is big dont blame it on that! just pay attention this is stupid!
& another thing there are WAY more vampire movies that are out now & big not just twilight!!!!
This is alarming. Not sure why this is such a popular series. Is it really that harmful. My children don’t read this but I know some that do. Isn’t it just fiction though? Or is it harmful not sure.