Twilight, Sexisim, and You
The Unflattering Portrayal of Women in the Twilight Universe
Nov 12, 2009
Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series has become a pop culture phenomenon. Since the first books release in 2005, it has seen immense popularity among young women, along with comparisons to the Harry Potter book series. Also like Harry Potter, the franchise has made the transition to film, with the first book, Twilight, being released in November of 2008. Now, Twilight mania is hitting a fever pitch again with the upcoming theatrical release of New Moon, the second part of the Twilight series. With all the hoopla, however, comes a very important question: Should these teenage girls really be embracing the messages exemplified in the Twilight universe?
A Modern Day Girl?
For those unfamiliar with the series, Twilight centers around a teenage girl named Bella, and Edward, a brooding vampire she falls in love with. Their love must overcome obstacles such as rival vampires, and a werewolf named Jacob, who is also in love with Bella. The story is told from Bella's point of view, so the story is understandably romantic in a slightly cheesy and simplified manner.
The issue is not the cheesy portrayal of romance, however. The problem lies in the series portrayal of women. Specifically, of the series protagonist, Bella. Bella is presented as a submissive female, who is practically incapable of doing anything without having one of her love interests stepping in and saving the day. Her relationship with Edward is a very unhealthy one, even bordering on abusive. This is most evident in the third book, Eclipse, where Edward removes the engine from Bella's car so that she cannot go visit Jacob, with whom she has maintained a friendship after the events in the second book. This comes along with Edward's stalking tendencies practiced throughout the series, such as watching Bella sleep from outside her window.
What is most troubling about these actions is how Bella in turn justifies them. With regards to Edwards extremely overprotective and jealous actions in keeping her from spending time with Jacob (Edward actually has his sisters kidnap Bella at one point), Bella gives the age old excuse "he does it because he loves me." Her willingness to simply accept Edward's actions without any confrontation sends the message to the fans of the books that girls should act as passive objects, never questioning the actions of their superior male counterpart.
New Moon and the Art of Being Dumped
In particular, New Moon perpetuates the view of Bella as helpless female, lost without the guidance of a strong man. The story begins with Edward breaking up with Bella. Bella then wanders aimlessly through the woods, in a despair-driven "zombie" state. She even becomes suicidal and attempts to kill herself by jumping off a cliff. Keep in mind that Bella is 18, and just coming off of her first relationship, and that the target audience of the books are 12-17 year old girls. This demographic tends to be very impressionable, and having a heroine act in this manner could have a very negative impact on the young fans who immerse themselves in the Twilight universe.
New Moon reverts its female protagonist into a weak-willed shell. In the film, Bella happily re-unites with Edward, no questions asked. She stays involved with Edward despite his treatment of her. While it is true that these kinds of situations happen in real life, it becomes a problem when this depiction of a relationship is lauded by millions of girls who see it as the perfect romance. Unfortunately, this perfect romance borders on abuse, and if girls truly are infatuated by Bella and Edward's relationship, they will look for the same kind of dangerous relationship that could potentially harm them in real life.
Gender Roles
The fact still remains that the Twilight books and movies have a massive following. Why is it that so many young girls embrace something that portrays them so negatively? Some researchers, such as Leonard Sax (author of the book Why Gender Matters) suggest that after decades of political correctness about gender being taught, a return to older gender roles is appealing to children. That the push to ignore gender differences has in fact caused a greater gender divide. Thus, girls are willing to embrace a heroine who fits nicely into to older notions of what is means to be female.
This theory does make sense, but that does not necessarily mean it is a good thing. To say there is absolutely no difference between genders is a bit ridiculous, but to use that as an excuse to embrace a more misogynistic viewpoint is equally absurd. It is understandable to not want to out right force feminism down young girls throats, but it is even more dangerous to give them a heroine who embraces being dominated over. And that is exactly what Twilight is doing.
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