Last semester I wrote my final paper for my feminist theory course on Twilight and feminism as it pertains to girls and young women and their autonomy. When choosing the topic for my paper (it was an open assignment), I thought it important to write on something I knew about and found important. In this case, it was Twilight and young women. I found myself deeply offended by a good number of sources I read for my paper. My position was to defend Bella as a viable example of a powerful young woman. As Stephenie Meyer said herself, feminists are consistently attacking this young woman’s choices, and isn’t the basis of feminism about having the right and tools to make your own choices? What angers me the most is feminists’ critique of Bella and Edward’s relationship. Recently, I was linked to this article regarding young women, real love, and marriage in response to Bella and Edward in Twilight. That this piece is offensive to young women like me is an understatement. Rita Arens writes,
True love -- the kind of love that lasts for fifty years -- isn't based on hormones or pheremones or even intellectual stimulation. True love -- the kind of love that lasts for fifty years -- is based on mutual trust and respect for each other's lives, interests, health and happiness. And I'm just going to come out and say it: Few people have the maturity to recognize those qualities in their youth. Not when there are so many sexy and selfish young thangs running around wanting to hook up and be seen together.
Someone please explain to me what’s on this woman’s biscuit, because I can’t even begin to understand. It’s evident to me that the real problem that older women and feminists have with Twilight is that they can’t believe that young women have the maturity to consent to such a powerful and real relationship. They can’t comprehend that Bella’s choices regarding her relationship with Edward were made on the basis of what’s best for herself and her love. And they can’t agree with that being a demonstration of power and autonomy for Bella.
The attacks on Bella have become a personal attack for me. I met my first real love at the age of seventeen. I am twenty-years-old and am engaged to the man I fell in love with two-and-a-half years ago. My relationship IS based on mutual trust and respect. But it is also based on youthful desires – whatever that may mean to you – and on the dreams I had about love when I was seventeen. My relationship is, in fact, quite similar to Bella and Edward’s. My partner is older, quite protective, and fervently believes in the importance of my college education. He also wants to marry me and have a family and holds these as values in our relationship. He is always involved in the decisions I make regarding school, work, AND my reproductive choices. I have never considered these actions to be anti-feminist, since they are choices that I have made and have been given the opportunity to make with the man I love, based on what’s best for me and for him and for us.
I refuse to re-evaluate my relationship because older feminists cannot view my form of autonomy as feminism, or because they think young love is not real. If you don’t like Twilight, that’s your choice. But please, don’t think that you can get away with attacking young women’s desire to love. It is a human right and every young woman has the ability to choose who and how she loves. If you don’t believe or support that, you are the one missing out on powerful allies and experiences. True love is timeless…and ageless.
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