Why De-Fang the Vampire?

In class we learned about the history of the vampire. The vampire's history is not seeped in romanticism and sexuality but instead is one of a monster, not unlike a werewolf or Frankenstein. But in recent times, people have taken on the vampire as a representation of their own differences. So the question I ask is, who has had the most affect on the vampire culture? Those who are creating the vampire culture, or the fans of vampire culture? In other words, are these people truly adopting a culture that they see themselves relating to, or are they the ones creating the culture?