Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Peer Pressure.

The first time I heard about stupid Twilight, (mind you, if it weren't for the redundancy of the word, I would put "stupid" before "Twilight" all throughout this post) was when I visited my dear friend Kim. I respect her, and admire her for her accomplishments and choices in life. But when she broached the subject of this book, the first description she gave me was "this book will make you want to cheat on your husband."

Of course, I now understand what she meant. That Stephanie Meyer's explicit and creative manner of describing the character "Edward" would make you want to fall in love with him as much as the character "Bella" does.

If- that is humanly possible.

I must admit first that I HAVE NOT read the book. I never thought that it would be worth the time. I would hear so many things about "vampire's" and "Edward's eyes" that I felt like I already had suffered through the entire novel- just by overhearing everyone's conversations. Another thing that held me back was how adolescent it appeared. It was about 17 year olds, and all these 25-35 year old women were obsessed with it. "HOW could this be?" I'd ask myself. "What IS it about this thing that is so fascinating?"

Yet, I refused to read it. When asked "Have you read Twilight?" I would raise my eyebrows and proudly say "No" anticipating the shock that would follow. People were always surprised.

Soon, the people I least expected to ever pick up the book would tell me they've read it. "It was good, you know, not the best thing I've ever read", they would confess. Nevertheless I was still taken aback that they'd admit it was a good read. I decided I needed to find out what all the fuss was about. But I was going to go about it the wussy way, and like ripping a bandaid off nice and quick, I would watch the movie- and get it over with really fast.

So to Redbox. One dollar and seven cents later, I sat down with my willing husband, to watch "Twilight." I had a lot of questions. My husband hates when I ask questions.

"Why does he act like that?"
"Do vampire's have glitter-skin?"
"Why isn't she offended by the horrible things he says to her?"
"Why doesn't he just bite her and turn her into a vampire?"
"Why doesn't Bella wear garlic?"
"Why do all the vampire's look like they are seventeen?"
"Where did these people come from?"
"Why is Bella so stupid?"
"Why is Bella such a brat?"
"What does he think Bella can bring to the relationship?"

..and so on.

My final conclusion was that this was a teen movie, for all those girls out there that love everything sexual about a man (except sex, of course) and love to see the hot boy protect the young, vulnerable girl from EVIL all the while being DANGEROUS himself. It's a simple story dressed up with vampire's. And I never did like vampire's.

Gob bless Stephanie Meyer for giving young (and old) girls something to escape to, through reading. Something delicious for their imaginations to taste, guilt-free. But like my sister-in-law stated, if this is the kind of love story my daughter will refer to when talking about romance and passion, then I am sorely disgusted. The girl in this story is weak, naive, reckless and selfish; lusting after a man she KNOWS she shouldn't. There's no attribute this character holds that I would tell my daughter to admire or live up to.

As for the book, I should read it to justify my dislike for it. It is only fair. So someday- when I have time and money to waste, I'll get right on that.

(PS. Kim, my darling, I still love you, and hold you in the highest regard. )

12 comments:

Brit H. said...

I actually DID read all of the books. I even read them before they were HUGE. I wasn't that impressed with them. I DIDN'T love them. I DID finish them, because that is what I do, I finish what I start. Usually.

I have NOT seen the movie. Although I have to admit, I am considering renting it this weekend, cuz Craig will be out of town. I am going to try once again to see what all of the fuss is about.

Word.

Cameron's Corner said...

It was totally unfair of you to watch a movie and judge the opinions of others that were based on the book.

Of course the movie sucks, but the books are awesome.

Cameron's Corner said...

Crap. I meant to leave that last comment as anonymous.

Lisa Marie Trent said...

I'm not judging anyone's opinions. I'm judging the book.

But I DID say it would only be fair for me to read the book to justify my dislike for it. Which I think is true.

I forgot you read it "anonymous." I'm putting you in the category of people I never thought would pick it up.

Kell's Belles said...

Whew. When I first saw the post I was terrified I had another raving Twilight fan on my hands :) The book and the movie are pretty much the same (except Bella seems even more reckless/selfish and Edward even ruder in the book version). You didn't miss anything by just watching the movie. And yes, I watched the movie when I swore I wouldn't. My aunt sent it to me to try to "convert" me and in a moment of weakness during a 3 AM feeding I caved. I still feel gross.

Thanks for the link ;)

Mindi said...

Again, you are talented and hysterical. No Twilight for me, thanks. What if I liked it? Ew. The whole phenomena seems kind of like drugs that way. :)

So are you guys coming to the party or what? Did you get my email invite? If not, let me know--Jack needs to come and party!

withacheerfulheart@gmail.com

The Rigbys said...

lis.... read the books! That's all I have to say... I am not even obessed with Edward at all, but it is a very entertaining read! And as far as the movie goes... lame

Kimmie said...

DITTO!!! You read my mind...it was like reading my own thoughts!!! I still have not read or seen any of it and hope to keep far away forever!!!

PS. You are a great (and witty) writer!!!

Sarah and Mike Stancliffe said...

Wow! This is a perfect statement : "The girl in this story is weak, naive, reckless and selfish; lusting after a man she KNOWS she shouldn't. There's no attribute this character holds that I would tell my daughter to admire or live up to." That describes my issue with dozens of love story movies. It's not about what you want, it's about what you can't have that makes you think you want it. I haven't read the books either...they just don't seem interesting. Did see the movie...laughed through most of it...seriously laughing out loud! So ridiculous.

Sarah and Mike Stancliffe said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jergs Family said...

Sadly, I must admit that I too have read all 4 books. They were definitely an escape from reality for me - which is sometimes what a mom needs after dealing with 3 kids all day long. But Stephanie Meyer is no Jane Austen, or JK Rowling or Betty Smith for that matter. These books are like drugs - once you start you HAVE to finish just to get them out of your system. Really, that's why I read all four - I was hoping for some closure. I hated the three books after Twilight. Stephanie is a decent story teller, but leaves a lot to be desired as a serious writer.

Have I seen the movie? Yes and laughed the whole way through. In fact I just saw it again with my husband's family on vacation last week. We all laughed hysterically - again! Will I see "New Moon"? Yes - but only for curiosity's sake.

Sigh.

Anonymous said...

You. Crack. Me. Up.

Brilliant.