Let me preface this by saying that I really enjoyed reading Twilight. It’s fantastic mind candy. I gobbled it up in like three days. Recently, I read an interesting article that brought up some points I think are worth thinking about. Even though I liked it, there’s some parts of it that you have to wonder about.
Point 1: Edward can seriously be a jerk.
A lot of girls are completely in love with Edward, but a real-life guy who told you you couldn’t go visit your best friend would not be OK. Furthermore, who wants to be told what kind of car they’re going to drive? Yeah, Edward seems oh-so-sweet and attentive to Bella’s needs, but there’s serious problems with the way he commands her. Which leads us up to point number two…
Point 2: Edward controls the sex.
The problem here isn’t their abstinence, by any means, it’s that every decision is Edward’s. When Bella will become a vampire, when they’ll make love…these are decisions that are exceedingly pivotal in Bella’s life, but somehow her decisions are less important than his. We don’t need another example of sex being used for control, from either gender. But here sex and the Big Fat Scary Sex Metaphor (that’s Bella being bitten, for those unsure,) are both used by Edward to create “conditions” for Bella to meet.
Point 3: Edward and Bella have a profoundly unhealthy relationship.
No duh, you’re probably thinking. But the thing about it is, so many teenage girls are reading this and are really jumping on this idea of what love looks like. I think that’s a pretty serious problem. Love isn’t when you completely lose your identity for someone. I’ve been in love. Twice. At no point in those 4+ years would I call myself “nothing” without them. When Edward leaves, Bella is completely non-functioning for months, risking death just to hear the hallucination of his voice.
None of this is probably new thinking to many people, but here’s the thing. I (and several of my friends) read the series up in a couple days. We could get swept up in it and enjoy it, but it didn’t stop us from being the hardcore awesome feminists that we are. (Hooray.) But is it affecting the way teenage girls see themselves and their role in relationships?
I know not many people read this, but to the few that do, I’d really like to hear your opinion. Is it a problem for teenage girls to get into a novel with such a weak female protagonist whose whole life is controlled, or should we just be glad they’re reading at all? Do you think girls’ infatuation towards Edward makes them more likely to gravitate towards dominating, possibly abusive boys? Or do you think what I’m saying is way off base?
