Is ‘Twilight’… Good? — Iris Goldsztajn

Is it a stretch to say that Twilight is technically perfect, according to the diktats of its genre? I don’t think so. I rewatched it this weekend as the series has been added to UK Netflix and I needed something inconsequential to play in the background, and was suitably impressed. It is a very well constructed story that makes you “aw” and gasp and smirk in all the right places, expertly utilising tension to keep you engaged. It features a very solid soundtrack (Muse, Iron & Wine) and some actually funny moments. The acting is a lot better than it got credit for at the time and the protagonists are decent/interesting enough to justify our rooting for them.

And let’s talk about why your gut reaction to any posit that Twilight might actually constitute a valuable piece of culture is to dismiss it as “trash for teen girls.” Shall we unpack that together or would you prefer to K-Stew (sorry) in those hangups for a while longer? Is your argument that it is superficial, commercial entertainment? Then would you reserve the same harshness of judgement for, say, The Avengers? Part of internalised sexism is the pervasive mechanism whereby interests typically thought of as feminine are systematically diminished in the wider cultural landscape. It is the mechanism whereby fashion and makeup are frivolous, but sports and cars are not. It is the mechanism whereby women preface any expression of these interests with an apology or a self-deprecating joke. See also: women’s magazines, romantic films and novels, pop music. The ubiquitous dismissal of Twilight as culturally inferior is by nature gendered and ageist, and in many cases it is also classist, but on the most basic level: who in the fuck do you think you are to shrug off a filmic adaptation that resonated with so many people it entered our generation’s collective cultural heritage?

Of course, that Twilight makes for reliable entertainment doesn’t render it any less problematic, especially as apprehended by teens as a viable model for relationships. The values unironically put forth in Edward and Bella’s love story are of crippling codependency, excitement in the potential for harm, voyeurism and saviour syndrome. Coupled with excess sentimentality and an unequivocal “happy ending” as necessary denouement, these values are bolstered and upheld as morally sound and aspirational. This type of message is never innocuous, certainly not for teenagers whose only frame of reference for romantic relationships are the media they consume. I do think adolescent viewing should be discretionary and/or accompanied by adequate disclaimers, but if you’re able to look past that, then by all means.

While you’re here, I’d love if you would consider donating a few $$$ to help victims of domestic violence at Refuge if you’re in the UK and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence if you’re in the U.S.