Twilight.





     I'm ashamed to admit that I own and have read all four "Twilight Saga" books. I'm even more ashamed to admit that at first, I loved them. When I was introduced to the series in middle school, I became enchanted with Bella and Edward, Bella's insecurities, Edward's secret powers, and their love story. For those of you who have never heard of Twilight, it's a modern-day "Romeo and Juliet" story by Stephenie Meyer that has also turned into a movie series. The gist of the series is this: Bella and Edward are involved in a "forbidden love" because Bella's a human, Edward's a vampire, and he could possibly kill her. So right now Twilight probably seems to you like the average overly dramatic teenage love story. But that's not the main reason why the series is so bad. The bone I have to pick with it, and the reason why Twilight is an appropriate topic to discuss in this blog, is that Twilight is disempowering for women.
     The video above contains several very good explanations for why Twilight is bad, and I would love to expand on these reasons below:

Reasons Why Twilight Sets a Bad Example

1. Bella Swan is an insecure, passive, and shy young woman who suffers from low self-esteem and never tries to change this throughout the course of the novels or movies. She is a static character. We never see her try to face her challenges head-on. 

2. Edward Cullen is a controlling and perhaps abusive boyfriend. He stalks Bella. He gives her orders and expects her to obey them. He forces her to do things she doesn't want to do, like go to Prom.

3. Jacob Black, who's competing with Edward for Bella, isn't much better. Throughout the novels, we see him become intensely jealous over Edward and Bella. Jacob exerts his control through threats and intimidation.

4. The constant theme that women are prizes to be won. Bella never steps in and straightens things out between Edward and Jacob. Actually, she likes them both but never does anything about it. She simply waits around for one of them to "win" her. 

5. The fact that Bella loses her idenity when guys are involved. She pines over her boyfriend, and when he disappears in the second book, she completely loses herself, her friends, and her family.

6. The "Damsel in Distress" relationship that Bella has with Edward. Bella consistently endangers herself and "must" be saved by her boyfriend. We are never shown that Bella is strong and capable of protecting herself.

     It blows my mind that the Twilight franchise has made so much money. I don't know why this is. Do young girls fall for it out of identifying with the shy and insecure Bella? Do they fall for Edward? Do they enjoy the fantasy part of it? In all cases, it still makes no sense, and even scares me a little, that Twilight has become such a phenomenon. I understand the insecurity that teenage girls feel, but it scares me that they see Bella as a role model since she never learns how to stand up for herself. I also don't like that they're so fascinated with Edward for the above reasons I've mentioned that he shows signs of being an abuser. And when it comes to fantasy, Twilight is one of the least unique fantasy novels out there. In fact, it's also one of the most poorly-written novels that ever became a bestseller. It's time for us to move on from this silliness, and leave Twilight on a bookshelf somewhere to dust away. 

 

American Pastimes. . .for both genders?

     Have you ever noticed that the most popular entertainment out there is usually centered around men? For the past few months, the only thing that anyone has been talking about has been the NBA walkout. During Thanksgiving this year (and every year) everyone was obsessed with the football game. This winter, and during Christmas, everyone will be concerned with basketball again. And then at the beginning of next year, everyone will be obsessed with the super bowl football game. It might just be me, but it seems like everyone in America turns to mainly sports for their source of entertainment, and all of these popular sports are centered around men.
     This obsession with sports has always bothered me, mostly because it has always seemed like a "guy thing,"and is the only unifying force that people seem to get so worked up about. But before I start off on my little rant, let me set the record straight: there is nothing wrong with liking sports. I'm not saying that sports are evil and should be banned. Rather, I have two main questions on my mind: one is "why is it that something that mostly men do has become so popular?" and also "how come things that mostly women do (the arts, women's sports like gymnastics, etc.) have not become popular, and in fact, can often be looked down on?"
     Let's start with the first question. Why is it that men's sports have become so popular? Well, the first answer that comes to my mind is that it's because men are interested in them. Let's face it: men are more aggressive than women. They are more willing to voice their opinions than women are. Although a minority, men are treated like a majority. So when men want something, they get it. But why have women become so interested in men's sports? I have a theory on this one. In our culture, things that men do are praised, and things that women do are belittled. Many women are genuinely interested in men's sports. But many of them, I believe, are also interested in them because they'll be looked down on if they aren't. Many women are interested in men's sports because it's the cool thing to do.
     Why haven't the arts and women's sports become more popular? Because men don't like them. Men will look at anything feminine, and if they see a man doing it, call it "gay." Women's interests are belittled in our culture. It's not just that women's interests have a different "place;" it's that women's interests are several steps below men's interests on the Ultimate Ladder of Hierarchy. Women aren't ones to be agressive and assertive like men are. When they don't get fair treatment, they tend to not let others know. So when women's interests get overlooked...they stay overlooked. One of these days, that needs to change.