I had heard of the ridiculously impossible love that knew no bounds, so I just had to check it out for myself. In the book that took teenage girls around the world by storm, "Twilight" by Stephanie Myers, was indeed one of the better romantic fantasy tales I've read in awhile. What girl my age wouldn't want to read a daring tale about a homely girl winning over the heart of a hotter-than-life vampire boy? Swept away from her dreary life of reality and into the depths of the imaginary—a place some of us would like to hide in from time to time.

Bella, the female protagonist of the series, was a smart, strong character in the beginning, but it all started to fade away as her love and dependence on Edward, her vampire boyfriend, grew. By the end of the second of four books, Bella came to accept that she was nothing without her Edward and that she would gladly give her life if it meant he would have his happiness.

I was thrilled that it took place in this state in a small town that I have been to. It was a great story, especially for a first time author. But it was just that: a story. And surely teen girls would understand that. The modern teen girl wouldn’t take this saga as a new gospel that said "THIS is how your life should be."

Or was I wrong to think that? Was I wrong to think that there was only a fraction of a fraction of women out there who believe that their lives centered on having a man?

Yes, apparently I was.

As part of my Sociology 101 class with Michael McCrath, I originally decided to see what effect the book "Twilight" had on teen girls. More specifically, how well of a role model Bella’s character was to teen girls. I'll admit that I already had it in my mind that 'she' did have some effect on teen girls; I just wanted to see the breadth of 'her' influence.

I first went out on chat forums, where teen girls communed globally to talk about the latest gossip, and asked my questions there. I was expecting a brief, non-descript yes, no or IDK to my simple questions.

Instead, I received paragraphs from young women deeply convinced one way or the other. A lot of them felt that Bella was the ideal woman to emulate because she won her man and, thus, had the perfect life.

My long time friend being one of the girls I originally interviewed explained it to me this way: "It's the life we all dream about, right? Every girl wants-needs-to feel wanted. Bella didn’t make us girls start to think that; she just reaffirmed our belief."

To me, that was just plain crazy. Wasn't the whole feminist movement about eradicating that need to have a man? It was one thing to be in a relationship with a person and be your significant other’s equal. But it is totally other thing to be in a relationship with someone just because you want to have a boyfriend who you feel like is better than you in every way.

After I talked to my friend about this, I started to focus on only the feedback that I received from girls who were pro Bella. And that’s when it hit me. There was no way Myers could have single-handedly influenced all the girls I talked to about this with one small series of books. No, her books were just a reflection of what already was.

This was an eye opener for me, and it should be for all other women out there. Whoever said that women now have the equality that they were looking for was wrong. Though women still face lower pay rates and social stigmas, our biggest oppressor now just may very well be ourselves. My research and subsequent 'findings' for lack of better words are in no way science. I really only talked to about 40 girls out of millions who have read the books. But if 49% of the girls I talked to believe that their existence is only important if they have a boyfriend, then how many world wide believe that?

If girls are only focusing on gaining and retaining a boyfriend, then how much energy are they using to gain and obtain an education? How much time are they devoting to exploring new options and bettering themselves?

Or maybe I'm just over thinking things.