‘Twilight’ sends wrong message

The “Twilight” hysteria has started again with the release of the second film in the saga on Friday. “New Moon” premiered to die-hard fans everywhere, topping the box office this weekend. The fantasy film about vampires and werewolves, which had more plot and action than the first, engaged audiences with its Romeo and Juliet-esque love story of forbidden love between a high school girl and her vampire boyfriend. While the movie is entertaining, the negative relationship qualities it displays to its die-hard tween fans cannot go without notice.
The relationship between the ever emo Edward Cullen and Bella Swan develops in the first book/movie and displays signs of an almost abusive relationship. The girl cannot go anywhere without being followed. This expands into the second book/movie, where she keeps seeing visions of him telling her what she can and cannot do. While team Edward is controlling, team Jacob is no better. This relationship deals with more physically abusive elements and aggressive men. But because they are vampires and werewolves and it is a fiction story, we deem these aspects acceptable.
What needs to be remembered about these books and movies is that young girls are reading into what is actually going on and forming ideas about how they would want a relationship to be. These stories are setting unrealistic standards for relationships while also telling girls that it is the male’s undying love for you that is keeping him lurking outside your bedroom window and controlling your every move. The idea that a girl needs a boy to validate herself and have a happy life is also portrayed throughout the story. Even when Edward is not in the picture, Bella needs Jacob Black to move on with her life. Instead of sitting and sulking and moping about, she should grow up and start living for herself instead of concerning herself with what Edward or Jacob are going to do for her.
It may be quite ridiculous to think that young girls are reading that much into the plot line, but how many bumper stickers on Facebook and T-shirts are there hanging in stores about how Edward Cullen is the ideal boyfriend? Ideas about how relationships should be come from movies in general, and when girls are younger they look into what the movies are telling them to set the standards for what their ideal relationship should be like. The “Twilight” series also has such a large following of fans who really take the story seriously, so this issue should be looked into just a little bit. It needs to be understood that it is only a story and that not every man sparkles, but really girls shouldn’t be leading their lives according to what a guy is telling them to do.

11 comments

gissel

Thu Nov 26 2009 03:54

i agree with the article 100%!
the books suck. the films suck. honestly choose a better selection of books. and to the twilight moms start acting your age.

bendemolena

Wed Nov 25 2009 16:21

Try and justify it all you want, but it is NOT okay to shrug it off when your ~true love~ disables your car and tells you who you can and can't be friends with. That isn't right, and it never will be. He's not protecting her, he's being abusive and manipulative.

FemaleAndSane

Tue Nov 24 2009 15:45

Give me a guy like Edward or Jacob any day. They're miles above most of the men on the planet today.

SaveTheHumans

Tue Nov 24 2009 11:00

With the world the way it is today, this is the stuff you're going to be concerned about regarding your children? There is 10-times more damaging images and messages just on TV, let alone the crap they're putting in movies these days. It's ok to make women feel inadequate by plastering naked (airbrushed most of the time) women all over the place, but god forbid you show a normal girl that has a crush on a guy.
This world is messed up beyond repair.

Not a Twihard, but Read the Series

Tue Nov 24 2009 01:12

While I agree that there are certain aspects of Bella's relationship with Edward that can set off alarm bells, there is a huge difference between Edward and an abusive boyfriend that I would like to point out: Many abusive guys will tell a girl that she should give up her dreams and plans for the future if she "really loves him." Edward, on the other hand encourages Bella to do the opposite, to live a normal life, and to at least think of a future past being a vampire with him. He tries to discourage her from what many abusive guys try to make girls do.

I am not saying in any way that this makes Edward perfect, in fact I think he is a complicated ass in a lot of ways, especially as the series progresses. And I agree that in some ways Twilight is a training ground for some teens on how to get into an abusive relationship, but there are some readers who are not the mindless, stereotypical twihard fangirls out there, and who refuse to be labeled as Twilight fans because of these views from others. Those readers know perfectly well what is healthy and unhealthy about Bella's relationships with Edward and Jacob. When it comes down to it, whether a reader will be influenced in a negative way depends on the readers themselves; Wuthering Heights could have the same effect on them as Twilight does if they read that instead. Twilight is more likely to have that influence on them, unfortunately, seeing as it is the latest craze among teen readers, but if it wasn't Twilight, it would be another book they read that could give them that idea. There are plenty of books out there besides Twilight that will have that effect.

And for the record, Jacob never gets physical with Bella past an attempt at stealing a kiss. If anything, BELLA is the one who hits him more often.

Bkwurm1

Mon Nov 23 2009 16:48

This sounds a little too like that old debate that says women can't tell fact from fiction and that their weak little minds can't possibly understand that romance book love is not a standard anyone can live up to while no harm is done to men who read spy thrillers and watch action movies. I think someone had pure motives for the article written, but such broad judgements are not fair. The specific details are very important in this story. Like the fact that one reason Edward is following Bella around is to keep her alive. Kind of like protective custody. Tossing in the supernatural element DOES change the game with these reltionships. These characters are NOT on equal ground physically is to the stories credit that the female character affects the male characters just as strongly. Everyone is emo in this story and complaining about that comes off silly. Also, while I've complained endlessly about how as a reader I'm just supposed to accept that Bella and Edward have an all consuming epic endless love without much to explain it, that is what the book is selling. It isn't supposed to be anything but a perfectly agnst ridden fantasy that gets it's happy ending.

em

Mon Nov 23 2009 16:27

I completely agree with this article. And the commenters who say that kids should learn from their families and not from movies... what about when the mothers of these teens girls are just as obsessed and delusional as their daughters? The so-called "Twilight Moms" are a heinous bunch of adults who cannot differentiate between fiction and reality, who lust after teenage boys and who want nothing more than for their daughter to grow up to be just like Bella Swan, abused (emotionally and physically) in the name of "true love" and fully dependent on a man to live her life. I'm not saying that Twilight is the first movie to do this, only the most prominant.

reality bites

Mon Nov 23 2009 10:43

I'd rather my son be like Edward (without the vampire part) than Chris Brown. Too soon?

Your name

Mon Nov 23 2009 09:57

People who say "It's only entertainment" or "Kids learn most not from TV, books, or movies, but from examples by their families" are living with their heads in the sand. I'm agree with everything written in the above review. This book is dangerous if not presented in the right manner. Teenagers are highly subjective to their peers and society, that's why pop music and pop entertainment are so heavily geared to young people. They're still impressionable. I'm not saying ban the books or don't let your kids see the movie, but don't dismiss it as having no effect on how your child views relationships.

The series is a horrible example of what a relationship is supposed to be.

Richard

Mon Nov 23 2009 09:33

Although you are entitled to your opinion I can't agree with it. The movies are meant to be entertainment. If you really want to read that deep into movies then you should simply advocate the same for virtually all teen movies. On one side you have the countless movies that actually do blatantly depict that type of behavior you are mentioning and on the other you have the vomit, sex, violence, and death movies that have become common place in our society. At least this movie teaches abstinence, albeit forced. There is really nothing wrong with these movies. You can't take the violence as reality because the movies are about vampires and werewolves which, last time I checked, are fictitious.

Reading is Fundamental

Mon Nov 23 2009 09:25

The idea that a girl (or guy) needs a guy (or girl) to validate her/himself is in almost every story--pretending it's unique to Twilight is more than a little silly. The Twilight Saga is a fantasy world of supernatural dangers and of really sweet but flawed fellas who want to keep an unlucky gal out of trouble. Edward/Jacob aren't so different from Superman saving Lois (constantly), Lassie saving Timmy, etc etc ad nauseum. I wish everybody wasn't so busy looking for the next dramatic "bad example." Kids learn most not from TV, books, or movies, but from examples by their families. It's up to parents to be the real influence, and we need to stop blaming fiction for teaching ways of life. It takes most tweens a few days to get through one of these books, and then hopefully with the love of reading sparked they will move on to others.

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