I recently came across this blog about the Twilight and New Moon Saga that argues that Bella and Edward's relationship is characterized by dating violence. At first I was skeptical, especially considering my fondness for the love story, but as I read through the author's reasoning, I too started to recognize the unhealthiness of their relationship. Twilight is a story of all-consuming love, which at first glance, appears to be romantic, but in actuality, is not. It is not healthy to feel the need to spend every minute of every day with one person. In the tale, Edward is portrayed as extremely jealousy, overly protective, threatening, and controlling, all of which are characteristics of an abusive partner.
I realize that the story is fictional, especially since vampires do not exist in the real world, but this does not mean that adolescent girls are not influenced by Bella and Edward's relationship; I know that a million and one girls out there now want an Edward to call their own. And if Edward is controlling, overly protective, jealous, threatening, etc. is that what young girls are now looking for in a partner? All in all, the Twilight books and movies romanticize behaviors that are characteristic of dating violence, which further promotes an acceptance of relationship abuse. Not only is this disturbing, it is scary to think that one book or movie has the power to influence a generation's views on dating values and norms for the better or worse.
What are your thoughts?
Check out the blog, as well as the author's follow-up post at: http://kar3ning.livejournal.com/545639.html
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