Although much has been said already about Edward Cullen and his gentility, I wanted to post my own thoughts:
From young girls to middle-aged mothers, women across the country line up hours beforehand on opening night to watch a movie sequel about vampires and true love. Why? Because interwoven into this highly fantasized tale fraught with teen angst and dialogue that occasionally sounds wooden, lies a message of sacrifice and self-control for the sake of something greater. Edward becomes every woman’s hero, not only because of his dashing good looks and strange intriguing powers, but because he can say no to his inclinations in order to protect and preserve his beloved.
Elizabeth Morowitz, author of “Bitten by Twilight,” muses that the popularity of the movies hinges on its message of love and relationships:
A lot of people ask ‘what’s so appealing about the Twilight and why is it popular now?’ and we think it’s because of the relationships and the messages about love in Twilight. In a more conservative environment we’ve had this push for abstinence education, so we now have a media message that’s more congruent with that.
It is a positive shift when popular culture embraces a love saga featuring a relationship that centers around more than two teen’s lust for one other, and moves more in the direction of self-sacrifice and integrity. Director of New Moon Chris Weitz makes no apologies for the lack of sex in the saga, but rather appreciates this element. In his opinion, the love dynamic between Edward and Bella is special precisely because it is a relationship of the heart and soul, not just sex:
It’s not that they can’t have sex, they choose not to and I think there’s so much popular culture that’s saying to young people: ‘you’ll be cool if you have sex’ or ‘it’s important to be sexy’ whereas this series really concentrates on matters of the heart and spirit and I think that’s lovely.
Society calls out for young adults to have freedom of sexual expression, and the opportunities to engage in sexual pleasures abound. In the Twilight Series, the presence of sexual integrity only increases the sex appeal and tension in the movie, and leaves girls in love with Edward Cullen. Perhaps young adults are beginning to realize that interpersonal relationships between men and women are about more than attraction and hormones. Perhaps these young women are acknowledging a longing for a deeper kind of relationship. Perhaps they realize that to set ones sexuality as an end in itself leaves one feeling unfulfilled and strangely, less sexy.
The quotes for this article were taken from the article “No sex please, we’re vampires.”
Original article here:
I’m all for teen-targeted books and movies that aren’t pushing sex on teens. Really, I am. Our culture is way to hung up on sex in general. BUT, even though it doesn’t happen until the fourth novel, Twilight is all about sex. It’s written like a harlequin romance, so the reader builds up anticipation, and there is no release, because there’s no sex until the fourth book. Every part with physical contact has impact because it’s written as a bodice ripper, the book is a tease. You keep reading the book because YOU WANT THEM TO HAVE SEX ALREADY.
(Maybe Meyer should have thrown in a Bella masturbating scene? All she needed was 5 quick sentences not using the word chagrin, and she would have still pushed the abstinence movement WHILE letting girls know it’s okay to have those feelings and desires and they can take care of them themselves, thus making the whole wait till marriage thing a bit easier. Just saying.)
That said, I’m kinda hard pressed to believe that people love it because of how PURE it is. I mean, vampires themselves are metaphors for sex, and there isn’t really any depth to their relationship. The main conflict in their relationship is Edwards struggle to not eat Bella (seduction/sex) and Bella’s inexplicable desire towards Edward (blatant sex) There isn’t even any depth to the characters. Bella is a bit of a Mary Sue, and Edward, well he’s sparkly. And borderline abusive. So even when it’s not about sex, it’s still all about the sex.