Vampires and Social Construction

Vampires throughout the 20th century and into the 21st were often used as a foil for elements of society that have been repressed or hidden from the mainstream. Female sexuality and the concept of sexual pleasure are most often the concepts that vampires have been a symbol for. Previously a creature to be feared and spited, vampires in modern times have become a symbol for guilty pleasure, and in the case of shows such as True Blood and contemporary celebrations of Halloween, something people are greatly interested in and intrigued by. Most, including myself, would argue that the image of the vampire has been perverted and exploited by the modern media for profit and a quick way to generate stories. Is this actually the case? Has the evolution of the vampire simply a reflection of the times, or has it been manipulated by the media or popular culture? Is the vampire the same social symbol it was 50 years ago in terms of social convention? Or has that changed as well?