While I never read Twilight, you've made some good points here, particularly about the feminist critique. I find it ironic that those who are for strong, intelligent women insist on treating young girls like idiots.
Say it once! Say it twice! Take a chance and roll the dice! Ride with the moon in the dead of night!
WORD! The books are what they are: POPULAR and they will pass like other popular things. People need to let kids today to enjoy their silly phenomenon the same way they did.
I don't now what to say about feminist critique. It offends me that they think feminism is such a weak concept that girls (girls that are buying this books on her own free will) were just waiting for a book to give them a reason to quit it on the other hand. Since when every single female on fiction has to a role model? Has to fulfill specific standards to be considered feminist and any fail on that turns it into a threat to women? Isn't that the same thing feminism tried to stop? Women having to conform to societies standards? Women creating new standards doesn't make it better, IMO.
I just...really want the people that are concerned about the effects of Twilight on feminism to be just as vigilant at all the other, lower-profile stuff that gets shoved at teenage girls. Most of them aren't more popular than Batman, but I know I read some REALLY dumb stuff when I was a teenage girl.
Which is probably why I just played video games :P
It seems to me that you are right on target, I used to be a minor fan of the series before reading breaking dawn, but after reading it I guess I realized how pretentious it really was. I have nothing against the fans or the author really, I just don't like it when people expect me to totally love it because I'm a girl. The character relationships also get on my nerves as well, but I figured that it all comes down to one thing: most fanfiction writers are girls. Twilight and self insertation fanfiction work basically the same way in terms of popularity and plot. That's not to say that everything bad came out of twilight, there are dark fanfics that are very well written, even if you don't enjoy the source material.
While I personally like the books and movies, I like your message here - get over it if you don't like it. Seriously, it's just annoying how vocal the people who don't like this series are. If you don't like the series, don't read the books or see the movies, it's as simple as that.
Also, I love Rifftrax, so I agree, Rifftrax is awesome, and it makes movies so very enjoyable. And fyi, the Twilight Rifftrax was the first I ever saw or got, and while I like the movies by themselves, adding Rifftrax just makes them so much funnier.
"I've seen the film four times"
You should probably see someone about that.
"ironic that those who are for strong, intelligent women insist on treating young girls like idiots"
Not really; young, idiotic (j/k) girls (and boys) can be turned from a more ideal path of strength and intelligence — into below-average, self-unaware, ignorant-and-proud adults — by too much exposure to stupid cultural influences. CAN be, simple as that, not WILL be. Once they're already strong and intelligent and have powerful beliefs and convictions, there's nothing to worry about — especially from as shite-developed a fantasy world as this. I don't know how much Twilight really COULD mess up an impressionable early teenager or whatever, but your argument is illogical. Kids really can't be feminists; their adult minds are developed. Kids are definitely impressionable. They aren't actually IDIOTS but they do need guidance. Also, crap fiction is crap.
...Sorry, though... I'm pretty much serious about this, but please don't take it too seriously; I haven't collected my thoughts well here.
"You should probably see someone about that. "
But...but...
I'M HARPO!
"So, to recap - a lot of people need to grow up and stop obsessing with sparkly vampires and people who like sparkly vampires."
I take it you don't have anything that you think is important that other people dismiss you for?
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I don't get the fuss.
Maybe this is because I am not a teenage girl nor do I see the need to relentlessly obsess myself with what teenage girls do with their time. But I've seen the Twilight movie - because of the Rifftrax, mind you. Through sheer osmosis thanks to the Hatedom that cannot shut up about this series, I know more about it than I ever wanted to know. So after finally exposing myself to a Twilight product first hand, I just...don't...get it. Yea, I'm not sure why it's popular - but I don't see why it's really that hated either. Bella is the same empty-headed teenage girl hero destined to cleave herself to a strange but compelling loner that I've seen in films and books since I was a teenager myself in the late 90s and 00's. Aside from throwing vampires into it, there's nothing here that's drastically different from any other film or book following this plot in lockstep. The sparkling vampires are funny, but the way people act like it's a mortal sin? Oy, have you guys never read Anne Rice?
Frankly, I find myself bewildered as to the obsession people have with liking and hating this series. It seems to have nothing compelling to sustain its momentum aside from "teenage girls really like it and geeks are required to hate whatever teenage girls like". Yes, I'm aware of the feminist critique. I would like to ask the people that are so certain Twilight is leading "today's youth" astray where they were when my generation had these kinds of relationships thrown at us (Stalking Is Love did not start with Twilight). Amazingly, my generation survived the likes of Sweet Valley High and the Babysitter's Club, so I think today's girls will not suddenly revert to a pre-liberated state because of a silly book series they're going to get over once they turn 18. Somehow, I imagine most of the attempts at "feminist" critique are really an attempt to cover irrationally hating pulp literature aimed at teenage girls with a visage of respectability.
Ultimately, I find Twilight empty and meaningless except when a bunch of middle-aged men make fun of it (to the point I've seen the film four times just to watch the Rifftrax over and over). So, to recap - a lot of people need to grow up and stop obsessing with sparkly vampires and people who like sparkly vampires. And Rifftrax is awesome.