Target Women: Vampires
The latest from Sarah Haskins!
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The latest from Sarah Haskins!
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Target Women: Vampires.
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I for one cannot condone this dumbass-shaming.
Say what?
hahahahahahaha x infinity.
Seriously...a month from now...I'll still be laughing.
It's so on the dot. "He's dangerous!" So is a drug-dealer. Try again. "He's perfect." He's a fantasy. Like to buy a reality?
I thought this one was a bit mean-spirited and unfair. Most people's fantasies, particularly in the area of romance, are completely laughable when held up for scrutiny. That doesn't mean we're stupid or silly. It just means that we like to imagine being able to get what we want without considering the consequences, because consequences are downers.
That said, if Haskins had gone after the book's quality or it's marketing, I'd be all for it.
Honestly, I appreciate Haskins' approach to this. Twilight has become this incredible phenomenon, but she goes to the source--the fans and, yes, their mothers--and asks funny questions that try to get to the heart of it. She doesn't just focus on the screaming throngs, like so many other stories on teenage trends to. I've never heard any even TRY to explain a love of the Jonas Brothers, and I think there's a lot of strength in making people try to put that love into words.
As a Twilight fan, though (and one who's gotten almost violently angry trying to defend my simple love for a campy series), I'd have preferred if this story had been about the books, more than the film. I know it wouldn't have been as visual, but the movie is only so wildly successful because the books had people sucked in. The story is much better developed in the books, and less easy to condemn as just a "bad" story.
(Also, who's mom wishes illegal and dangerous upon them?)
A "campy series"? Really? You love a series that promotes anti-feminist, pro-mormon ideals? REALLY?
Ugh.
Really? So nobody can like anything ever that is anti-feminist? WOW! You must be perfect and never like anything that is anti-feminist.
I'm so glad there are all these smarter feminists around to tell me what I should like and not like and what's feminist and what's anti-feminist. How would I ever figure it out on my own? Maybe you should put together a nice list of books we SHOULD like, as so many other helpful (condescending) commenters have done on previous Twilight posts.
Hmm. . .I think her approach is justified because they are so many people who defend the books based on Edward's devotion and their abstinence or whatever that read them as an alternative to the Gossip Girl culture. . .I don't read them, I don't really pay attention to the details. . .Basically I get "Twilight: The Feministing Version," at this point.
However, I just wanted to add that I will always prefer MY vampires in a more mature, strong-and-silent David Boreanaz package. . .and he and Buffy never had any of these ridiculous pretensions about him not being dangerous or biting not being just as much about penetration. Edward Cullen's got nothing on Angel.
He doesn't even have better hair... and that's saying something. ;)
Hahaha, he doesn't even have better hair than Spike, and that's DEFINITELY saying something :)
I'm totally going to watch Buffy now... WAAAAAAY better vampires for me to swoon over.
I don't think her comment was justified because she assumes that we agreed with the themes in Twilight. I am perfectly capable of reading something and coming to my own conclusions about it.
Why can't I get into this whole "Twilight" thing???
Two of my 20-something friends are avid readers, fans, etc........
And I really just can't whip up any excitement over it...
What's the draw?
Wow. I really hate being forced to sign in at a blog just in order to comment. Why not moderate anonymous comments with a captcha?
However, I'm sufficiently pissed off to jump thru that hoop because the video is not captioned.
Gee thanks. I'll just hit the next button. Whatever you wanted to say, OH WELL.
So, why are you complaining here? Feministing didn't make the video and has no control over its captioning. You can respond over at Current TV: http://current.com/items/89591135/target_women_vampires.htm
Erm. Feministing didn't create the video. Thanks for wasting your time on us, though!
I think this is a good point, though the way it's expressed is a little confrontational, rather than helpful. Feministing posts a lot of videos, and though the ones Feministing bloggers make come with transcripts, a lot of others do not.
Transcripting videos can take a lot of time, yes, but I think even us commenters, if we have an hour or two, should try to get transcripts of videos up.
Current's production team looks bigger than Feministing's team, though, so perhaps directing your comments at Current might get them to consider putting captioning on all their videos? Honestly, they should.
When I saw the title of this post, I said "Yes! YES! Oh my god, Sarah Haskins!"
...I think that says it all.
(Thankfully, no one else is home.)
I only liked the movie because I'm attracted to Edward Cullen. I think the same can be said about many other fans.
Oops, I meant Robert Pattinson, the guy who plays Edward. I AM IN NO WAY ATTRACTED TO EDWARD CULLEN!
I hope feministing does even more pieces taking these books to task. So many young girls and women are buying into this sexist and dangerous ideology. It's really sickening.
god, this book is awful. it's not even campy-bad. It's BAD. And edward? comes off 100% abusive boyfriend in the making. Controlling, physical, thinks he knows what's best, bad temper, condescending, overly protective, oh, and fantasizes about killing you. awesome. and bella? I found her totally unlikeable. whiney, pouty, boring as hell. They can have each other. Damn Robert Pattinson for being so freaking hot, because he almost makes me want to torture myself with the movie.
Really? So nobody can like anything ever that is anti-feminist? WOW! You must be perfect and never like anything that is anti-feminist.
I sort of agree. What's worse, if you can find anything redeeming about any book you've read and you speak it, the first thing they go to is "OMG! What about these anti-feminist parts!". I guess with this mindset, we're not allowed to like the classics either. Especially "Lolita" since it repeatedly rapes the girl and the story is told through the eyes of the rapist. I suppose the first cry would be "rape apologist!" Anyone who says that, never read Nabokov. Another example is Gatsby. While there is no excuse for Fitzgerald's misogynistic views, that doesn't make the book less satisfying or good.
As for "Twilight", the movie just sucked. From what I've heard, the writing's not that good anyway. But if you're to refute something, don't just do it on principle. Do it on art as well. We forget that writing is an art form and should be criticized as such. Yes, from a feminist perspective, "Twilight" fails. But I'm willing to wager that from a Marxist and Structuralist perspective it fails as well. "Lolita" and "Gatsby", however, doesn't. And while there are many anti-feminist principles to the book, these principles do not mar the otherwise skillful writing and art that is found therein. Plus it makes you feel elite when you're read them. Lol
"You want the burrito?" HA!
Now that she mentions it, Chuck Bass kind of IS like a vampire...
OK, I read the Twilight books and enjoyed most of them, but I am still able to to be critical of them. I think we all need to take a setp back and realize that enjoying the books and seeing them as anti-feminist or non-feminist are not mutually exclusive things.
I find this video an insightful commentary on what millions of young women think about the Twilight books, emphasis on the young. For me, these books are just fun fantasy books in the same way that trashy grocery store romance novels are just fun fantasy books that I sometimes read. My problem is that these books are being marketed to young women whose idea of how men and women are supposed to behave are still forming.
Young women read these books and then expect the young men in their lives to act the same way Edward acts. These books created unhealthy standards for relationships and also promote a relationship dynamic that I disagree with. Which probably means that I might not let me future daughter read them until she reaches a certain age, but that I can still enjoy them while viewing them with a critical eye. After all, don't a lot of us still watch Friends or Family Guy? How is this any different?
Brava! I think your comment is spot on.
I think your comment kind of illustrates much more articulately what I was getting at above. . . (Bravo!)
The people that are reading this blog are most likely here because they realize the difference between fantasy and reality in terms of what to expect/what they deserve from their partners. There are, however, a lot of people who remain impressionable. . .young or not. . .that are being affected by these books.
I think your comment kind of illustrates much more articulately what I was getting at above. . . (Bravo!)
The people that are reading this blog are most likely here because they realize the difference between fantasy and reality in terms of what to expect/what they deserve from their partners. There are, however, a lot of people who remain impressionable. . .young or not. . .that are being affected by these books.
The sentiment that seems so common on Feministing whenever Twilight comes up -- that young women are some how to dumb or naive to be able to read a book critically or to enjoy it without completely conforming their life to it -- is about 100x more anti-feminist than anything you'll find in Twilight. Honestly, what I hear over and over in these discussions is really that many commenters don't really like who many young women are, which is sort of unfortunate when our movement is, in part, about trying to allow women to feel comfortable with who they are.
I think a lot of the anti-feminism that people are finding in Twilight is but one way of reading the characters and the story. I won't say it's not legitimate -- every book lends itself to a diversity of interpretations. But there are plenty of intelligent, feminist people who enjoy the series. There are a lot of clumsy, bookish girls who are excited about having a character that they can relate to, and I'm really uncomfortable with a message that says to them, "The things you like are stupid. The character you relate to is weak. The fact that you want to be in love is pathetic. You wouldn't like this if you knew better. You think you know what you want, but you don't." A little paternalistic, don't you think? (I won't even get into the idea of regulating what I would allow my daughter to read. Just...*shudder*)
There are a lot of things in the world that threaten the well-being of young women. And while I realize it's very popular and hip to rag on Twilight, I don't think a successful book series by a female author with a female heroine who ends up saving the day with her mind is really worth the ridiculous hand-wringing that's been happening on this site.
Young women read these books and then expect the young men in their lives to act the same way Edward acts.
We have a free paper here in Sydney, where people can send in their comments on just about anything.
Ever since the Twilight books have come out, there are lots of text messages from fans of Twilight that go something along the likes of "Edward Cullen has spoilt men for me. How can I go out with normal guys when I know they can never be like Edward.".
You could say that this is just karma...after all, aren't immature young hetero men often lauding female supermodels while ignoring normal women who dont look anything like supermodels?
"You could say that this is just karma...after all, aren't immature young hetero men often lauding female supermodels while ignoring normal women who don't look anything like supermodels?"
But here's why it's not really Karma...
We probably won't see boys and men looking at Edward's character as a role model; they will not be lining up to emulate his behavior. On the other hand, girls and women seem more than eager to emulate models in hopes of bringing themselves closer to the beauty ideal.
"We probably won't see boys and men looking at Edward's character as a role model; they will not be lining up to emulate his behavior. "
I hope not. He always seems to either be acting like a pissy little bitch, a control freak, or a creepy stalker. Who cares that he knows a lot about music and sparkles like a My Little Pony doll.
Me and my friends got really drunk and decided to see this for a laugh. I don't know what happened to all those swooning teenage girls I keep hearing about, but everyone in the audience we were in was also roaring with laughter from the minute Edward appeared on the screen. It's almost as if the actor was playing him as a PARODY of a melodramatic romantic hero.
I have to admit though, it's been kind of fun watching my male friends averse reactions when I tell them-"So what did you do this weekend?", "Oh me and my friends got drunk and watched Twilight for a joke." "TWILIGHT?!? UGH!!! WHY????" It's like the mere mention of it gives men hives.
As an afterthought, I will add that I kind of can't blame Edward for being so pissy. Remember how much high shcool sucked? Well, he's doomed to go through it FOR ALL ETERNITY (thus all his graduation tassles hanging on the wall.)Yeah, I'd be a sullen bitch too.
That still doesn't give him an excuse to be abusive or controlling though.
SAME! Cheers.
As for playing Edward as a parody:
"When you read the book, it's like 'Edward Cullen is so beautiful I creamed myself'. I mean, every line is like that. He's the most ridiculous person who is so amazing at everything. I think a lot of actors try to play that aspect. I just couldn't do that. And the more I read the script, the more I hated the guy, so that's how I played him, as a manic-depressive who hates himself. Plus, he's a 108-year-old virgin, so you know there are some issues there."
-Robert Pattison
(He also describes him as a stalker in some interviews. Love it.)
Hahaha, that is awesome.
the Twilight craze is kinda weird for me, because as a younger lass I was a big fan of Anne Rices early novels like Interview with a Vampire and The Vampire Lestat. I haven't read the Twilight books but some friends and I went to an advanced screening of the movie recently (I only went because I was allowed to make smart-ass comments to one of my friends who feels the same way I do about the series).
Looking back I don't think I ever wanted to -date- a vampire like Lestat (he was not portrayed as the perfect boyfriend in the books unlike Edward). I wanted to BE a vampire like Lestat. Both Interview and Vampire Lestat were from the point of view of either Louis or Lestat, not a Mary Sue reader-surrogate like Bella. Both Louis and Lestat become Vampires themselves around the first few chapters and you get to experience them exploring that new life, the reader is put in the position of experiencing Vampire powers first hand right away. Twilight you have Bella who is extremely passive and whose only motivation seems to be bagging the OMG pretty boy. Doesn't seem as fun.
P.S. there's an asian boy in the movie I thought was a lot more adorable/desirable then the lantern-jawed, dimple-chinned guy playing Edward but hey that's just me....
What's interesting about these books is not that they're poorly written (they are) or that the author is a Mormon (she is) but why so many young women LOVE Edward Cullen. I think the books are indeed anti-feminist. Of course people have fantasies, but you can't just dismiss them as fantasies and not analyze them. In patriarchy masculine power is reinforced, primary, even. Edward Cullen is a bastion of patriarchal power. He reinforces the idea that love is primary in a woman's life, that women are "helpless" nad need to be taken care of, and that sexual desire is dnagerous and should be thwarted at every turn. Why is this anti-feminist? Because the books don't allow Bella to have any agency, but they let her feel fulfilled through Edward's taking "care" of her. Love is all. Romantic love is truly the ONLY achievement in this novel. I think the Target Women piece is awesome--she gets right to the heart of it.
I read Twilight and tend to agree with the bitching and moaning, to be honest. Not because I dislike teen vampire soap operas, oh no. More because when I was a teenager, the book all my girlfriends and I were reading was _The Silver Kiss_ by Annette Curtis Klaus, which as far as I'm concerned is a much better book. You've got a similarly mopey guy, and yeah, there's some gushing about how pretty he is, but the female protagonist actually takes charge and pushes him to DO something about his woe. She also comes to realize that isolating herself from her friends and her family over a relationship with a (dead) guy is actually incredibly destructive. It's not so much about romance as it is about being the author of your OWN life, with some romance mushed in for good measure, and I think that's much more palatable.