I saw a review of the new Twilight movie, and in a generally negative review one thing sinabi in defence of the movie was that Bella doesn't dress like a skank (paraphrased) and she just looks like a normal girl, which was called a good message as they felt it's healthier for girls to see Bella/Kristin Stewart on screen than someone like Angelina Jolie. That on tuktok of the fact that I keep hearing people say in defence of Twilight 'well at least it sends tweens a good message concerning not having sex too soon' since Edward refuses for a long time, and pretty much all they seem to do is touch eachother's faces left me needing to say something. You don't need to write a story with a main character who has sex all the time to send sexual messages.

First, let's look at the obvious. fans are meant to be Bella. To wish they were her, to want to be like her. It's sure as hell not her refusing making out or sex. madami than once Edward pushes her away because she gets too passionate for his tastes. Many fans want a relationship with the same dynamic as the ones in the book, in which they put themselves in the Bella role. Meaning what they get from the book is closer to 'be all over your man. It's up to him to stop if he feels the relationship is not ready' than 'be abstinent'. And let's face it, we live in the real world. Boys are not Edward Cullen. Most guys who have a girl pushing make out sessions on them are never going to put a stop to it, they're going to say hell yeah. The abstinence in the Twilight relationship relies completely on Edward turning horny Bella down. So how is that sending the girls pagbaba it (who are putting themselves in Bella's shoes, not Edward's) any message of abstinence?

Next, there's the fact that in almost the whole history of the madami humanised version of vampires, going right back to Dracula, being bitten has been a metaphor for sex. Bella spends four books absolutely begging Edward to bite her! It's all she wants, the main focus of her life. She wants it so much she even asks characters other than Edward for it, which going with the 'biting is sex' metaphor can either lead to some really funny jokes about Bella being a Cullen groupie-ho, or madami seriously, be taken as a metaphor for a girl desperate to lose her virginity to feel good enough for her older boyfriend. Bella literally wants Edward (or really, anyone willing) to take away her 'innocence' to keep her older partner, because she feels it's the only way to be good enough for him, keep him long term and be taken madami seriously sa pamamagitan ng him and treated as less of a child.


I'm not saying in regards to sex Twilight has a terrible message (though I personally find the idea of the temptress with no will power always having to be turned down sa pamamagitan ng the goodly boyfriend tiresome) and I'm not saying the books are going to encourage fans to run out and become raging horn dogs, I'm just saying, I don't think when it comes to teen sexuality it has the message some people credit it with. As for the body image issue, frankly I'd rather watch Angelina Jolie kicking asno looking like a supermodel than watch a damsel who looks like the girl susunod door any day.