The Time Has Come

...for me to do a full blown Twilight post.

Where to begin? I guess I should address the fact that I have read the whole series. And I did so very quickly. Whenever I try to discuss how terrible the series is, my sister points out that I read them on my own accord. And she's right. I did read the whole fricken' series. And, this is hard to say, I was thoroughly entertained. Being entertained by trash isn't bad, as long as you know it's trash, and maybe you can even inscribe yourself in an academic discourse that surrounds said trash. So, my issue stems from the fact that it is not recognized as purely embarrassing entertainment by most of its readers.

It is disgustingly popular. Fans have no shame! They buy shirts from Hot Topic declaring their love for the series. [I should mention that Hot Topic actually increased revenue in the fourth quarter, thanks to their Twilight products]. Fans swarm the internet replaying the supposed nuances of Bella's relationships (as if the book even has nuances). I've mentioned Twilight Lexicon before. If you really want to feel depressed about the state of the world, check out their discussion forum. There's also a notorious fan known as Nutty Madam who provides enough second-hand embarrassment in her videos to last a lifetime. Or you can check out this fan site. How about this one? There's even a site dedicated to ranking Twilight blogs! MY GOD THERE ARE SO MANY OF THEM:



Let's put the literary merit of the series aside, I don't think that any piece of literature should inspire such unhealthy obsession. But, there is something that has to be addressed here. Whether I want to admit it or not, Stephenie Meyer tapped into something. And that is quite frightening. What is even more disturbing is the fact that the fans are comprised almost entirely of females.

Allow me to just lay out the very basic facts. Edward Cullen stalks her. He goes into her bedroom at night and watches her sleep. Bella is aware of this as they start "dating," but isn't too freaked out by it. Edward is rather aggressive in his "protecting" of Bella. For example, he has his sister kidnap her and keep watch over her for a weekend because Edward is out of town. Edward takes the engine out of her car, making sure that Bella can't visit her werewolf friend Jacob. After their honeymoon night, Bella wakes up covered in bruises. I guess Edward is pretty rough in his love-making. These are just the big, in-your-face examples. Going below the surface is far more troubling. It's hardly an ideal relationship.

Now, Bella herself is not a strong female character or role model for young women. She essentially gives up her entire life and well-being for this vampire dude. When Edward breaks up with her, Bella basically cannot live. In fact, we don't even get to see what Bella is doing without a man in her life because Stephenie Meyer dramatically passes through those months. We can only assume that she was tortured and depressed. Because really, what else would she be up to when her boyfriend of a few months has broken up with her? Bella only feels slightly better when she hangs out with Jacob. She really is nobody without a male counterpart. She marries after high school graduation, which is just weird. I'm sorry, but the thought of getting married fresh out of high school is laughable. It's not like this is the Middle Ages where our life expectancy was 40. Geez. She then has a crazy ass vampire spawn baby, at the age of 18. Apparently, Edward being a vampire does not hinder his baby-making abilities.

These are just the surface facts of the book. I don't even have the energy to delve into the book's psyche and how messed up it really is. So, the problem is not that the books are being read, or even that they are making a lot of money. The problem is how they are being received. I managed to walk away from the books and look back on them critically. But, many readers don't do that. They allow themselves to be taken over by the craze. The sexism that runs rampant throughout the novel is starting to permeate into female mind. And that is what's most disturbing of all.