Mikayla Leskey | Arts and Entertainment Editor
Somehow, our generation fell in love with the monsters under our bed. We personified them into amazing, ethereal beings, often bigger than life itself. We took them and adapted them into our way of living, but why? Most of the time these beings are from myths of old where all they did was terroize humans.
Mothman, who sounds exactly like his namesake, a humanoid moth with a seven-foot wingspan and beady red eyes was once thought to cause you to see your worst nightmare if every encountered. As well, many people blamed him for the collapse of the Silver Bridge back in 1967, some claiming they saw him flying above the bridge, just moments before it collapsed. Now, he has an annual festival in his birthplace, Point Pleasant, West Virginia.
Surprising no one, the romantization of Vampires can almost solely be blamed on Stephanie Myers’ “Twilight” and Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”. Vampires used to be considered demons, but these two novels turned them into regal, immortal, creatures. Our love for them is what made them into conventionally attractive beings. It was that hidden desire that made everyone fall in love with them. They glamoured solitude and immortality, paving the way for the original social outcasts, making them feel a little less lonely in a world full of monster hunters.
Fairies are commonly showcased as sultry creatures in media, often with short, bodycon dresses. But in mythology, they’re some of the most mischievous creatures you could come across. Commonly known to cause mayhem everywhere they go. In some myths, they’re the reason why middle names exist, since names equal power to the Fae, they can’t have any power over you unless they have your full name. Nowadays, Fae are often associated with the Tinker Bell, or the Tooth Fairy, harmless and innocent.
Elves are also very desired after. Once again posing as sexualized beings, from flawless skin to shiny hair, all-around otherworldly. But, in old myths, these beautiful creatures would lure humans to their death. Some elves were good, sure, but even the goods one thought of humans as beneath them. Now, whenever someone talks about elves, it’s either about J.R.R Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” or Christmas. During Christmas, elves are often depicted as helpful and child-like beings, often cheerful and silly, but still immortalized like the myths of old, the only difference is the old elves are self-absorbed and untrusting.
Serial Killers. Most people consider them monsters, and probably the scariest on this list, as tjey’re the only ones that actually exist. They’ve been especially romanticized within the past decade. Mostly due to documentaries and TV shows. Maybe ut’s due to our morbid fascination as to how we - humans - work, we want to know why Serial Killers did what they did, and how. Most media portrayals gace conventially attractive actors play these rooles, so “pretty privilege” comes along. It’s hard to hate someone you’re attracted too.
Society as a whole beautify these beings, turning them into something to be desired after. In part, it has something to de with our wonder of the unknown. There’s this old saying; “Curiousy killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.” How much morbidity and romantiziation must we due until we’re satisfied? It is it until all the unknown is discovered, or mauve it’s when we finally figure out what makes us tick.
We fell in love with the monsters under our bed and in the closet, and we humanzied them to make them less scary, to make them easier to deal with. But at some point, we crossed into the line of lusting and pining after these creatures instead of just dealing with them.
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