So, in spite of the fact I had been laughing at them for…well, ever, I finally caved and started reading YA paranormal romance books. They range from Alex Finn’s Beastly to Gracie Ray’s Falling Slowly, to Maggie Strietfver’s Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy. After having read a few, I am faced with this question: Why do the guys get the superpowers?
In Erica Steven’s Captured, it’s Braith who’s the vampire. In The Goddess Test, Henry is the god. In Thirteen Days to Midnight, Jacob’s the immortal. Even in pop culture, Superman is the alien. And their love interests are pretty much normal girls. Yes, all the ladies have something special or unusual about them, but you have to admit, they’re a bit human.
I know that there are series where this isn’t true. In Nikki Jefford’s Spellbound Trilogy, Raj might be a warlock, but Graylee’s also a witch. Then there’s Rachel Morgan’s Creepy Hollow series. Vi’s the one who’s a faerie and Nate’s the human. And I know that there are others.
But enough with the exceptions! I’m talking about the generalizations.
So why is it that the guy usually gets to be the supernatural being and the girl gets stuck being human? Don’t get me wrong, I love a good vampire love interest. But I wonder why the werewolf girl couldn’t fall in love with a human boy more often. (Yes, I know there’s a series where that happens, too.)
Is it that teen girls relate more to an MC who’s a normal teen and falls in love with a fallen angel than a fallen angel who falls in love with a normal teen boy? (Oh wait…that’s been done too, hasn’t it?)
I do see why it would be hard to write the female love interest as the near-invincible beast while her boyfriend is a fragile mortal. (A guy always needing protection isn’t considered a particularly attractive trait.) When it’s the guy who’s the protector, you can get away with more dramatic rescues because men are supposed to protect women anyway. (My dear feminist friends, please do not take offense. I am, after all, exposed to high levels of Arthurian lore on a daily basis.) And I admit dramatic rescues can be kind of awesome when done right…
In Fanged Princess I made Hadassah, or Haddie, the vampire and her boyfriend human, in part because I wondered about this subject. But then in the Argetallam Saga, I am guilty of making Saoven the elf and Janir the one who often needs him to save her.
What do you think? Do guys get the superpowers too often? Or is the way things are just perfect?
I think in YA romances, the girl is a little more human so as the young adult readers can relate more? Possibly. I dunno, it’s always something I’ve wondered about too. Why not have a nice vamp girl with great abilites fall for the slightly average guy? 😀 Great post, makes you think.
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I’m sure there’s a deeply rotted psychological reason that’s very complicated and being explored by some college professor somewhere. Glad you liked the post!
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I agree with you and Harliqueen. I love a strong female and want her to be the one in control. When I saw the title for this post, I started laughing. Good one, Elisabeth. ^_^
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I’m just on a role making you laugh this week, aren’t I? 😀 I think it’s perfectly fine for the girl to not be a smoldering virago wielding power over fire, I just want, maybe, a few paranormal girls who fall for the average boys…?
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Yes, Elisabeth. I have enjoyed visiting your blog very much. I like to start my day with a laugh and you have been doing a great job of doing that for me. I’m with Laura, but it’s best not to let the men know.
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Yeah, we want our men to feel manly and protective. Maybe that will motivate them to do those ‘honey do’ things. LOL
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Good question, I tweeted it.
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😀
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I can not see your images for some reason.
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Yeah, I don’t know what that’s about. I can’t seem to fix it. 😦
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So true Elisabeth. Love your tag line.
Maybe we don’t get the most awesome super powers because we women rule and are stronger anyway!
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Aw, let’s not be sexist now. 😉
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Feeling my Wheaties today.LOL
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