Highlights and Horrors of Watching Twilight

by Kari Tervo

I just finished watching part four of the Twilight saga, Breaking Dawn, Part I.

In my earlier post on Twilight (here), I was in the middle of Eclipse, the third one. I wrote, "I’m just hoping the birthing scene involves sunlight and sparkles. And I hope none of you who have seen it are laughing at that."

Ummm. . .ha ha ha! The birthing scene alone was so intense and tragic, I had to watch from that point to the end in three separate sittings. Oh, how I long for the blissful ignorance of my youth (last Monday).

So, about this baby vampire (or whatever it is; I guess I have to watch Breaking Dawn, Part II to figure that out): Renesmee? Really? C'mon, Stephenie Meyer. Bella is the anti-lame. I don't think she would really get so sentimental or obvious as to make some horrid hybrid of her mother's name (Renee) and Edward's mother's name (Esme). Probably her high school friend Jessica would do that. I don't know, maybe motherhood changes you. They say there's something about baby brain. But I really think Stephenie Meyer was like, screw it! Who cares about its name when there's a grand possibility Jacob is going to eat it? At least Alice spoke for all of us when she strongly advised against Renesmee. She could see it coming that we wouldn't like it. Would that we all had such informative visions.

 CLICK AND RAWR FOR MORE TWILIGHT HIGHLIGHTS (TWI. . .LIGHTS!) AFTER THE JUMP!

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Twilight vs. Team Feminist. Part One: Hermione's Shadow

By Kari Tervo

I just started watching the Twilight saga, five years after the first movie came out. I had known the basics of the plot forever, because the franchise is larger than life. I think Twilight has had more covers of Entertainment Weekly than the Entertainment Weekly logo. I decided to give it a sit-down and see what I’d been missing. 

I’m on the third movie now, Eclipse, and I’m enjoying the series. It’s a timeless story with modern (and monster) flourishes. The special effects are cool, and the cinematography is magical (that’s the kind of stuff we say out here in Hollywood). I admit I’m having a little trouble even looking at creepy, pasty-faced Edward (I do not see what that girl sees in him). That’s the primary reason I’m leaning Team Jacob, but I’m hoping that kid can learn to control his aggro a little. Maybe put him on a light dose of anti-psychotic. But another thing keeps creeping into my mind, like Edward stalking Bella in her room while she’s sleeping: All the feminist critiques I’ve seen floating around about Twilight.


A lot of feminists hate Twilight. If you Google “Twilight” and “anti-feminist,” you get around 30,000 results. I started watching the series fully expecting to cringe frequently from a feminist perspective. Instead, I’m left scratching my head. I just don’t see how Twilight is so anti-feminist. I’m here to defend Twilight from a feminist perspective. Over a few posts, I’ll cover just a few areas of criticism and explain why I think they have it wrong. Here’s the first one:

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Movie Poster: New Moon

Here is the poster for the upcoming Twilight sequel, New Moon. The movie hits theaters in November.

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A Note on Twilight

With the juggernaut success of the Stephanie Meyer series, I have found myself pondering why the vampire continues to hold such universal allure for the teenage girl. Since I once was one myself (a teenage girl, not a vampire) it seems like this wouldn't be such an impossible case to solve. What was it that drew me to those much dog-eared copies in my Anne Rice collection? Was it the theme of impossible longing that resonated in my underdeveloped teenage brain? The promise of eternal love? Or was it just that vampires got to stay out late and didn't have to follow the rules of society, much less their long dead parents?

This afternoon, in a teenage girl packed screening of Twilight, I think I finally figured it out. It isn't because they're undead. That makes them icky and automatically qualifies them for the purview of the teenage *male* interest. It's because they're BAD. Now, this may seem like a somewhat facile observation. But the fact of the matter is, be it conscious or unconscious, the ultimate goal of the average teenage girl (and, again, I'm speaking from all-too-tragic experience) is to date the most hideously inappropriate person possible. And who better meets those qualifications than a pale faced, undead suitor whose primal desire is to drain her of all her blood? Yup--the ultimate bad boy.



The case of Edward and Bella (our Twilight teen) is a perfect example. Edward is terrible boyfriend material. He stalks Bella while she's with her friends, breaks into her house to watch her sleep, and tries to convince her she's suffering post traumatic stress disorder when she refuses to believe his transparent lies. In one of the most 'romantic' scenes of the film (and I only know this scene was romantic based on the volume of 'awww's being emitted by my fellow cinema goers) Edward tells Bella over and over how wrong he is for her. His stance? "I want to end your life". Her response? A breathless "I trust you". It's Unhealthy Relationship 101 and all the teens and 'tweens were eating it up. While the vampire may have lots to recommend him (not the least of which is impeccable style--Edward's grey wool pea coat was my favorite part of the movie!) it's the fact that all your friends think he's wrong for you that makes him truly irresistable.

Now, if someone could just explain to me the appeal of Hannah Montana...

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