I'm not much of a feminist. If my husband made enough so that I didn't have to work, I'd be more than happy to be stay at home mom and have dinner ready when he got home from work and I'd vacuum in heels and pearls.
That's a choice that I as an adult am prepared to make. He doesn't though so I'm happy working for The Man and earning my place as an equal partner in our relationship.
HOWEVER- the Twilight Saga pisses me off even if I have read and watched it all. I can't stand behind the philosophy of it all.
Stephanie Meyer is sending the message to impressionable tween/teen girls that all you need in life is a man to support you and a baby. No friends, family, or education required to have a fulfilling life. Just a man and a kid. This is wrong on so many different levels.
Like I said, I'm guilty of encouraging by reading and watching. But I'm 29 years old and I know all that is bullshit. I know that you can have the man, the baby, the career, the education to get the career, and the friends too. I also know that you can just have the friends and the career.
I know that love is NOT allowing yourself to be dominated by an overbearing control freak that does crazy shit like pulling your spark plugs so you can't go see a friend.
These young girls don't know this. Not only that but all the tween boys seeing these girls go ape-shit over Edward and his manipulative, controlling, domineering ways is going to think that's how they should behave to get the girl.
We're creating a society of idiots.
It's all such bullshit.
To me- feminism represents the right to choose. A stay at home Mom is no better than a Mom who sends her kids to daycare and works. And vise versa! It's all about eqaul oppurtunity in my book! As for Twilight- I'm right there with ya. Read all the books, page turners for me. I was heavily involved in the story= and what drew me in was the strength, awkwardness, individuality of Bella! She wasn't one of the dumb, popular girls! She read classic lit! She cooked! She was great! but, then Edward CHANGED her. That's why awhile back I posted that theory on reading Twilight as the "Tragedy of Bella Swan." I remember reading Breaking Dawn and being so angry that she was pregnant! OF COURSE she is having a baby. That's all women do, right? Find a man to take care of them, lose themselves in him and that make little mini versions of themselves? Dammit. The baby wouldn't have been so bad if Bella and Edward's relationship wasn't so terrible and full of manipulation. THESE GIRLS NOWADAYS SCARE THE SHIT OUT OF ME. They dont' read, they don't have hobbies, they dumb themselves down and pimp themselves out- just for men. AHH!
ReplyDeleteBreaking Dawn made me violent. It evoked real rage within me. I felt cheated by Bella. I felt cheated by the hope for a real character. They turned her into some vacant pod person that was a fraction of what she could have been. The character that started out with so much promise was reduced to a shell of a human whose life wasn't worth living without some guy in it.
DeleteI still have so much anger.
And I am terrified that my child will end up being either a simpering fool or a manipulative douche. I guess that's where parents step in and you *hopefully* have more influence than society.
I loved the twilight books (except New Moon... Bella's catatonic fit pissed me off royally!) Probably because my fucked up marriage at the time left me craving someone who really understood and accepted me like Edward did Bella. I didn't see the manipulative controlling part... but then I didn't see that in my own marriage at the time either.
ReplyDeleteBut the movies seemed to play up the helpless female perspective even more than the books, and I'm growing irritated by it all.
Hunger Games, however, is just damn awesome. Katniss is no helpless female! Woohoo!
I must get my hands on these Hunger Games books I keep hearing so much about!
DeleteYou want a strong female, then yes, you MUST get them. The movie isn't quite the same as the book but it's equally good in my opinion.
DeleteDo you have a kindle? I think Amazon has a way I could loan you my copy. But only of the first book for now, until I finish the other two myself! The movie reminded me that I HAVE to start over on book 2. (I ran out of time and hadn't gotten back to it).
I appreciate the offer, but I have a Nook. I mean, you know you're behind the times when your 18 year old sister and you husband has read all the books. Shame on me! I'll probably grab the first one in the next...lol... sometime soon!
DeleteHa my daughter is 15 and read them all several years ago, so don't feel bad! I got them because SHE chose the first one for our month's book club selection.
DeleteAre you saying that Twilight is teaching young girls unrealistic expectations about relationships? I dont know how books about loving vampires and wolfs could ever do that? haha
ReplyDeleteOkay as a woman who has not read the books or seen the movies, I hate to jump in here, but I'm a loud mouth so I'm gonna do it anyway. There are two reasons that I haven't bothered to read or view any Twilight materials. 1)I like my vampires and werewolves scary, not sensitive, and 2)I don't like the idea of a girl getting swallowed up by a man of any kind and that's how it comes off to me.
ReplyDeleteLook, I am a pseudo-feminist I suppose. What I mean by that is that I am all about strong women who know who they are without the aid of a man or anyone for that matter. I believe women deserve equality in the workplace and are just as capable as men. I think women make amazing leaders and can still come home, cook and raise kids. However, I'm also from the South and believe in men being gentlemen. Opening doors, pulling out chairs, squashing bugs and mowing the lawn for example are things my husband does for me. Granted I'm unable to do those things because of my CRPS, but he would do them anyway. It's just polite to me. I don't see anything wrong with that. In fact, I see a lot wrong with a man who doesn't at least open a car door for a lady for cripes sake!
The reason I mention that is because it seems that from what I've been told, Bella doesn't just want a gentleman, she wants a savior. I think that's a shitty message to send to young girls. My 12 year old niece doesn't need that put into her head, she has enough on her plate. I don't want her thinking that she needs a man to rescue her.
*stepping off soapbox*
I love this post! I totally agree!
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of the TV show All in the Family, Archie Bunker is a rasict biggoted idiot and the show is suppose to show all the flaws in that way of thinking, but some idiots watching the show thought he was a role model to look up too! Some times a sarcastic joke can be preceived by fools as a truth!!
And looking from a pshycological point of view, girls getting us to that idea of a relationship may have a harder time breaking out of it as adults! (who doesn't know a girl who still waits for a prince to come just cause of a few disney movies!)
You're right about the guy thing! I knew a lot of guys when I was a kid who would mirror their additude to whatever girls liked! If girls dated guys who were jerks, guys would act like jerks to attract girls!
(oh and though I haven't seen Twilight, it seems to be a rip off of the first three seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer!)