Leave Twilight fans alone! | Mathilda Madden | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

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Since the release of Eclipse last week, the Twilight franchise and its fans seem to be getting it in the neck from everyone. Even reviews that were cautiously happy with the third film, still expressed outright surprise that it was watchable. Other reviews trashed the film, sulkily mentioning that it would still be popular because of mysterious, tasteless creatures called Twilight fans. Underpinning all of this is a snidey portrayal of Twi-hards as obsessed, obese, wailing mascara-striped losers. Has there ever been a franchise whose fan base has been so maligned? It's starting to feel like some of the male critics of Twilight are just uneasy that, for once, something that isn't aimed at them is getting such a big slice of the zeitgeist. Meanwhile, instead of defending the film, some feminists aren't happy either because of Bella's passivity and the tale's theme of abstinence before marriage. Well, OK, author Stephanie Meyer's devout Mormonism does give weight to that reading of the text. But it's not really as simple as that. We can presume a lot about the author's intent, but that's not necessarily the message the films' fans are taking away from it. Female viewers are well used to having to twist narratives to their preferences: Edward-mania and the existence of products such as (unofficial) Twilight condoms would suggest that not every Twilight fan takes an abstinence message away from the text. Far from it. Don't forget that feminist favourite Buffy the Vampire Slayer still had its anti-sex moments, too. When Buffy finally gives it up to her vampire boyfriend, he turns into a monster and tries to kill her friends. And Stoker vampirism has been as much about sexual repression and confusion as it has about unrestrained sexuality. Twilight's just the latest text to riff on these themes. Moreover, Twilight is also downright transgressive. Despite her name, Bella's physical appearance is never described in the books, while Edward's looks – and thus Bella's desire – is never off the page. The first film contains a scene where, after carrying Bella up a mountain on his back – and, c'mon, doesn't that look like the best fun ever! – Edward reveals his upper chest to her in a shaft of sunlight. He sparkles and she pronounces him beautiful. Female gaze, anyone? Gothic romance has always been dismissed as silly, indulgent female fantasy. What's new here? Instead of trashing the fans of Twilight for liking such melodrama, we should ask ourselves what they are finding in this film that they're not getting in the rest of mainstream cinema. A female protagonist, perhaps? One they can identity with and who isn't there just to be eye-candy for the guys? Hell, Bella never removes her flannel shirt (It's chilly in Forks, WA.) Twilight might be telling young women that their self-worth depends on their success at snagging a sparkly vampire boyfriend, but maybe that's preferable to films that tell them their self-worth depends on their success at mimicking Megan Fox's sexyface. Maybe Twilight fans just think that a commitment to sparkle motion is more attainable, or just more fun.

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Quite. You can have reasons to dislike Twilight, but the abuse of the fans is not justified or explained by this dislike. It has to be said that other fandoms have been on the receiving end, the most notable of which is probably Trekkies, but the hostility to Twilight fans seems to be more vicious and personal.

There was another article by Bidisha right next to this one taking the feminist point of view and criticising Bella for being a passive personality void. I was reading it sort of thinking "but isn't that the point?" She's the quintessential Mary-Sue and I don't really think this is a bad thing. Berating people for their fantasies is the most pointless activity going.

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Well, I did read both, and I think there's some validity to that, although tracking back the links to critiques of Twilight was not much more fruitful. Bella as idealised faithful Mormon wife-wannabe is a bit regressive, but as the OP points out that is not the only thing going and it is quite valid that even if that is part of the attraction for some, the fact that she's not sexually objectified is itself unusual for most media and is another kind of draw.

IMO the whole vampire trope is very much a rape fantasy, with a big chunk of homoeroticism thrown in as well - as Severin says in Near Dark, "I hate it when they don't shave." It is this subtext that gives vampire stories an edge that goes beyond being simply about a ravening beast, which is why they always come back again sooner or later.

Anyway, I don't hink it's quite fair to say the objection was berating people for their fantasies, not least becuase I am unsure that the Mormon wife thing is the active component in that fantasy. But it is probably true that it's clean and unsalacious content has contributed to its popularity and wide acceptance, as a novel written in the style of the bonkbusters would not have been.

Sure, no one wants to be an ideal Mormon wife forever, but apparently a lot of them think that it's fun for a couple of hours, just like very few of the guys who read loli porn are actually going to go out and rape a 12 year-old. Usually the people who consume this stuff are far better at telling the difference between fiction and real life than the people who pontificate about it.

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lol.....I guess I really screwed up, I thought it was about vampires and werewolves.....

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