Imagine the story of a teenage girl who swiftly falls in love with a tall, brooding boy. This young woman must suppress and control her passions in order to avoid the violence of this man, and only feels safe and comfortable with herself when she is under the protective wing of her boyfriend. She stops talking to her friends because she obsesses over this mysterious man that gives her lavish compliments. He is prone to berating her for leaving his watchful eye. She didn’t comprehend happiness until she met this man who boosts her self esteem and gave her the true purpose consisting only of making him happy.
This is a summary of the main plotline in the popular series “Twilight” by Stephanie Meyer, a series of books and movies that is sweeping up the nations youth and making it hip to fall in love with a vampire. Young kids, especially girls, eat up these books in a manner reminiscent of the Harry Potter phenomenon. However, where Harry Potter was all whimsy and wizardry, “Twilight” is poorly written teen angst that is incorporating detrimental messages into the minds of young women everywhere.
I find the main character, Bella, to be one of the most simplistic and weak characters I’ve ever seen created. She’s a “Plain Jane” that feels misunderstood by her peers and not completely fulfilled until the sparkly vampire that’s around 100 years her senior sweeps her up and promises eternal beauty, romance, and protection. She’s nonplussed by the fact that he might kill her at any second.
The devotion in which young girls idolize these characters is scary. “Twilight” and its new representation of the “perfect” boy is worrisome. He is one that is perpetually tortured, beautiful, and sporadically violent, which seems to be okay if he loves you in exchange. It teaches that if a boy dumps you, all you have to do to get him back is beg, slowly destroy your life, and possibly jump off of a cliff in hopes he returns. It’s also okay if your boyfriend is so jealous that he prevents you from seeing your male friends, or if he stalks you in your room at night to watch you sleep. He’s madly, deeply in love with you, so it’s worth it!
In the fourth and final book, Bella wakes up after her first time having sex only to find she’s covered in bruises. Edward was so “passionate” that he physically harmed her, which Bella believes is acceptable because he “didn’t mean it.” This sends the message that the power of young love is worth any physical abuse. How is this happening? Where are the strong, independent role models for young women? Where is the teen romance story where the boyfriend treats the girl like a partner and less of a subordinate?
I am consistently bewildered when anyone above the age of 14 chooses to immerse themselves in the “Twilight” series. This trash shouldn’t be taken seriously. I understand it may just be light and mildly entertaining reading to the older audience. However, the most worrisome thing is when obsessive pre-teens idolize the looks and lives of these characters to an extreme extent. I fear that this image of a weak and dependant woman as the protagonist may do more harm to the independent development of girls than we can comprehend yet. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the wave of “Twilight” madness will be over soon.
