twilight fever

Even if you haven't read the book or seen the first film, even if you're not a teenage girl, even if you're not even female, it's pretty impossible not to be aware of this vampire franchise. It's everywhere. I'm probably the only one who don't have any interest in this vampire thing, but since all my girlfriends are talking about Edward and Bella so my curiosity is increased by an inch and I have started to read articles or any reviews about the movie.

As the movie New Moon premieres all over the world and Twi-fans go mental with excitement, there was an interesting article published about how Bella is a crappy role model for all the teenage girls and grown women who are obsessed with Twilight.

I saw my niece who has read all the books and seen the first film and I asked her if she thought this was true.

She said: "Oh totally, Bella spends thousands of pages of the book whining "Oh Edward, you're too gorgeous and why would you want a girl like me and my life isn't worth living without you and blah blah blah. She's never happy and she's chronically insecure and needy."

Sounds like fairly typical teenage girly, victimy angst. Young girls have a way of over-dramatizing things, don't they?

Giving up your soul for a man? Dude. That does not sound very cool. In fact, it sounds a lot like those bloody Disney Princesses (don't get me started...oh wait, I'm already started).

Is Bella a modern Disney character? Is she just like Cinderella and Snow White and Sleeping Beauty? Sad, lonely, victimy damsels-in distress who need to be 'saved' by a handsome prince? Is Edward just the handsome prince except that instead of the white horse, he has fangs and some super powers?

I'm not a fan of being saved by love. Or rescued by a man. Never have been. What an awful and unrealistic pressure to put on men and what a powerless position for any woman to put herself in the idea that your life is crap and not worth living without a man.

I think love (in all its forms) is a wonderful thing. An amazing thing. Something to be sought, nurtured and treasured. A life without it would be sad. But is romantic love the answer to all life's problems?

Is that a pop culture message that can be absorbed by girls and teens subconsciously so that as adults, they keep waiting for Prince Charming Edward The Perfect Guy to show up and 'save' them?

What is also fascinating is how many grown women are being influenced by the Bella/Edward relationship.

My girlfriend told me (half) jokingly complained that author Stephanie Meyer "..very nearly ruined my marriage before it had barely begun. Honestly, Twilight should come with a warning label: May Cause Unforeseen Disappointment with One’s Love Life."

Is Twilight the modern Mills and Boon? And is Bella a crappy role model or should everyone take a breath and chill and relax because it's just a character?