In Defense of Twilight: An Analysis of the Twilight Renaissance
Like most girls who came into adolescence following the release of Twilight in 2005, I grew up with an irrational hatred for the Twilight Saga. From a young age, I was surrounded by nothing but scorn for the franchise, and witnessed, time and time again, the mocking of teenage fangirls for their interest in something deemed by the masses as ‘frivolous’ and ‘simpleminded.’ While Twilight reached heights of popularity that most authors could only dream of, it also seemed to face its fair share of criticism and backlash.
I used to laugh at Twilight like everyone else, joining in on the mockery of a franchise consisting of books and movies that I had never even read or watched. This summer, I decided to finally read the book, and was genuinely surprised. What I found wasn’t worthless drivel, but instead a well-crafted narrative that knew its audience and catered to it with ease. There were also some surprisingly interesting themes throughout the book, the most notable being the blurred lines between romantic desire and the desire to consume--how Edward’s feelings for the love interest Bella are muddled by his inherent predatory nature, to the point where even he himself doesn’t understand how he truly feels for her. Of course, it's far from the best book around, but nuanced themes mixed with likeable characters created a pleasant reading experience that I enjoyed, no matter how sappy it was.
I’m clearly not the only person who feels this way. After years of mockery , Twilight is experiencing somewhat of a renaissance on social media. Tiktok, Tumblr, and Twitter have all seen a surge in Twilight memes and content, which is something that I’m sure you’ve encountered if you spend a lot of time on the internet. Why is this happening now, over 15 years since the first book’s release?
Well, one of the most prevalent theories is that women have begun to question why media such as Twilight-- written by women and enjoyed mostly by women--endures so much hate. It seems as if the threads of intelligence that can be found within the book were completely written off by critics, who favored the narrative that media curated for teen girls is simply vapid and stupid.
Of course, there are many valid reasons to critique the series. The melodrama and painful acting is amusing, but it also has deeper problems: its disrespectful and out-of-touch treatment of Indigenous people and its perpetuation of rape culture and toxic relationship dynamics. Many fans are addressing these issues, calling out problematic aspects of the book and making an effort to educate themselves, which is definitely a step in the right direction. The Twilight renaissance has not only reignited love for the series, but also caused many to recognize its flaws.
Twilight has become part of a larger conversation about the perception of Young Adult media in the eyes of the general public, and the analysis of the criticism flung so easily at such stories. The Hunger Games, for example, was a popular franchise geared towards teen girls, which didn’t face quite as much hate but was still treated poorly. Tumblr user @tangerinefemme suggests in a blogpost: “The Hunger Games delves into topics like wealth disparity, racism, and dehumanization of the poor; yet, the movie was written off as “another dumb teen girl series” because it featured a love triangle.”
And the plot thickens. It seems as if the romance portion of a Young Adult story--no matter how important it is to the plot--is what makes many feel disdain for the story itself. It’s as if romance, and the act of teen girls consuming plotlines about romance, is the catalyst for internet bullying and cruelty. It’s as if any underlying intelligence or worth that a story may provide is immediately declared obsolete in the face of a cheesy love triangle or a few sappy monologues.
Romance as a genre--whether it be in books or movies or TV shows--is commonly associated with women as a whole. And romance, whether it be a sublot or the focal point of a story, is very popular in media geared towards teen girls, who are commonly perceived as sappy and emotional. The idea that something is silly or useless simply because of the fact that it’s popular amongst teen girls extends beyond the realms of movies and books. Artists such as One Direction or Justin Bieber, whose fan bases are (or used to be) composed entirely of teen girls, are undermined constantly, written off as shallow performers incapable of writing “real” music or making genuine contributions to music as a whole.
As a teen girl writing to an audience of mostly teen girls, I’ve witnessed exorbitant amounts of backlash aimed towards things that teen girls are supposed to like, things that I’m supposed to like, things that I was always too afraid to like because I feared being seen as frivolous or airheaded. I feared being mocked for my interests or being degraded for the things that I enjoyed, and I’m sure that many of you can relate. It’s uplifting and encouraging to see movements like the Twilight renaissance gain traction amongst women, especially during my teen years. The Twilight renaissance not only re-ignited love for the series in old fans, but has also roped in new people to partake in meme-making and fandom discourse. In the wake of this newly found Twilight enthusiasm, it doesn’t seem that the fandom will be fading away any time soon--not when a space has been created where people feel safe enough to like what they like, free of ridicule.
In the words of Tumblr user @darling-esme, “Embracing Twilight 10 years later feels like embracing the silly teen girl who I hated for so long.” Perhaps it's time for girls and women to begin to embrace the things that they previously felt they needed to hide, like One Direction or The Hunger Games and everything else that used to be mocked simply by virtue of its existence. Perhaps it's time to stop overlooking--and flat-out denying--the intelligence that may be found in such media.
Perhaps it's finally time to let teen girls find joy in things, no matter what they may be.