This is what happens when people take works of fiction a bit too seriously

I saw this link on a friend's Facebook profile today and had to check it out. Apparently, this librarian/blog author has an issue with the entire Twilight saga because it promotes abusive relationships, and teen/tween girls everywhere are going to look for their version of Edward and well, we all know that's not going to end well.

The author of the blog post says that he hates the Twilight series because, (and I am quoting here), "I hate them because of the sexual messaging they impart to teens, especially teen girls, robbing them of agency and normalizing stalking and abusive behavior."

OK.
Let's back up a bit, shall we?

These are works of FICTION. Edward is a vampire who SPARKLES IN THE SUN for crying out loud. There are werewolves and vampires and well...it's all make believe.

Is Edward possessive, a bit obsessed, a bit crazy, and a bit hormonal? Yes, in fact he is all of those things. He's also fictional. And 109 years old. And he's a vampire. Is Bella moody, a bit of an outsider, a bit of an emotional train wreck who just happens to be drawn to the most gorgeous, secretive "bad boy" in school? Yep. And again, she's also fictional and 17 years old.

Is their relationship "healthy" or "normal"? Um, that would be a big, fat no. Then again, he's a vampire who is trying to NOT kill her. See, vampires KILL humans. Any vampire book will tell you that (Have you read Anne Rice? Those are some violent, messed up vampires).

So yeah, Edward is a bit over-protective and possessive and all vampire-like.
But abusive?
Really?

Do we really think that IF Edward and Bella were the poster children for abusive relationships this series of books would be the phenomenon that it is?
Do you think moms would be buying these books for their daughters, and then reading them too?
Do you think it would even be marketable?

No. No. And, no.

I consider myself reasonably intelligent, and not once while reading the books did I think to myself "Well holy crap, Edward is abusive to Bella and that Bella is just some silly, stupid girl who is afraid to stand up to her man." Not once did I think to look up the signs of an abusive relationship and create a checklist based on Bella and Edward's romance.

Why? Well, probably because I knew that (1) I was reading a work of fiction that was (2) full of fictional characters and supernatural beings who don't really exist and (3) I don't have that much free time to ponder things like this.

Maybe I'm just an idiot. Or clueless. Or maybe someone should revoke my "I'm kind of a feminist" card...because I just don't see it. The books aren't perfect - but they also aren't a manual on how to identify an abusive relationship.

And, for anyone who has read the series, you also know there is NO sex (there's a lot of 'fade to black' in the last book...but there are no "real" sex scenes). Oh and (MAJOR SPOILER ALERT HERE. STOP READING IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE LAST BOOK)...Edward and Bella are virgins until after they get married. They don't have sex until their wedding night. Call me crazy, but that seems to be a really GOOD message to send to young women out there.

What I see when I read this book is a vampire who happens to be in love with a human who happens to be best friends with a werewolf. I see a story about love and teenage angst.

Yes, there are a lot of unrealistic notions of first love and true love and "forever" in the book, but it IS a work of fiction. Maybe it's a lot to assume, but I would think that most young girls/young women who read these books would know and understand that no one like Edward really exists, because well...he's a vampire who sparkles in the sunlight and only feeds on animals.

I'm really not trying to be snarky.

I'm all for teaching young girls how to avoid bad, unhealthy and potentially abusive relationships. As a mom to two young girls, I know how important it is.

My point is this: if you really want to do teach teens about healthy relationships, maybe you should avoid using a vampire/human relationship as the example.

Because sparkly, vegetarian vampires aren't real, but abuse is.

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Check out this article from The Washington Post. It's very interesting. :)

Vampires and werewolves and humans, oh my

I saw "New Moon" this afternoon.
(I refuse to call it "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" because that's a stupid name).

I have this to say about the movie: It. Was. Amazing.

It doesn't even compare to "Twilight" -- which if I'm being totally honest, now seems like a bit of a train wreck.

Chris Weitz, the director of "New Moon", should be very proud of the finished product.
The movie was beautiful.
And, surprisingly, the script stayed true to the book.
There was no Buttcrack Santa or "compost tea!" to be found. (Thank goodness for that).

Time and again I was shocked to hear Edward, Bella or another character saying THE EXACT THINGS that were written in the book.

Oh, and the werewolves!! [UM, SPOILER ALERT IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK AND DON'T WANT TO KNOW ANY MORE].

Holy hairy scary werewolves.

When they first appeared on screen, coming out of the woods (and if you've seen the movie, you KNOW what scene I'm talking about)...I looked at my friend and said "Holy. F**K." Yep, that's right. It was THAT amazing. And that incredible. And well...wow.

I laughed. I cried. I was stunned.

All in all, it was amazing.
And I cannot wait to see it again Monday night.
And maybe Thursday night.
And several times after that.

[I suppose it's time to remove the "New Moon" ticker over there....and replace it with one for "Eclipse" ... June 30, 2010.]

Oh. My. Edward.

Almost there....

Can't wait.

Yeah, I bought my tickets 2 weeks ago...so what?

That's right....two weeks ago I purchased my tickets to New Moon (I refuse to call it The Twilight Saga: New Moon, because that's just a stupid name. It's New Moon. Period.)

There is a group of us going in the middle of the afternoon on opening day ... and we're hoping (against hope, I'm sure) to avoid many of the screaming tweens because, well, they should still be in school at showtime.

We hope they are still in school and didn't decide to stay home just to watch [SPOILER ALERT] Edward leave Bella.

And then, once that showing is over we're going to grab dinner and drinks and deconstruct the movie and then we're going to see it again. For a second time. On the same day.

Oh yeah, that's right. I'll be watching New Moon twice in one day.

And that makes me very, very happy.

Pizza, vampires and brownies

Last night my sister and I went to mom's house and had a "girl's night in" - we ordered pizza, made brownies and watched "Twilight".

This was the first time mom had seen the movie (and probably the 10th time for me and my sister). A few days ago mom said "I think I'll watch 'Twilight' when your dad is out of town." We couldn't let her watch it by herself...so the girl's night "in" was planned.

And let me say this: my mom is now hooked on Edward Cullen & Co. As the final credits started to roll I said, "So, are you going to see 'New Moon' with us in November?" ... and mom just nodded her head 'yes'!

Oh yeah! We got mom hooked on Twilight! I'm taking her my paperback version of the book today and she even said "I might have to borrow the movie again - just in case I missed anything."

Ha! After months of teasing me and my sister over our "obsession" with Twilight...mom finally gets it!

We're so proud of her.

As an added 'vampire bonus', mom also watched 'True Blood' with us last night (and I have to say this: best episode of the season!)...but I think she prefers her vampires as sparkly vegetarians!

A lovely surprise in my mailbox today

Oh. My. Edward.

And...as an added bonus Vampire Bill! (And yes, he does look a bit sick or perhaps he's constipated from all the TruBlood...haha).

Personally, I would have preferred it if Edward Cullen (aka Robert Pattinson...swoon!) had the bigger photo...but oh well.

I cannot wait to read this issue -- the 20 greatest vampires of all time! This is what makes me happy tonight.

I guess you'd have to love books/movies/shows about vampires to understand! (Anne Rice, Twilight and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and True Blood just to name a few of my faves!).

OK...off to read.....

....and swoon at the cover a little longer....

[see EW's story about this cover and the new 'poster boys' for vampires]

My current obsession

I am currently obsessed with the Twilight book series. There I admitted it.

I bought book 1 (Twilight) as a spur-of-the-moment purchase about 3 weeks ago at Target. I had read things here and there about the books and I knew the movie was coming out soon...and so I figured, what the hell. I'll give it a shot.

I. Loved. It.

A lot.

I devoured that first book in about 2 days. Then I bought book 2 (New Moon). Again, it was finished in about 2 days. I HAD to buy book 3 (Eclipse) as soon as possible. Then I was done with that. It was as if the pages of these books had some crazy drug on the pages...I could NOT get enough.

I bought book 4 (Breaking Dawn) on Sunday. So far, I'm 300 pages into it. And I'm loving every second of it.

I have the same feelings for these books as I do with Harry Potter -- I love them. I love them a lot. I get totally lost in the pages and lose track of time. I feel connected to the characters. And, I want to read them all again. [For the record, I tend to do this with many books: The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, The Mayfair Witch stories by Anne Rice, Gone with the Wind -- I've read all of them many, many times].

I guess I'm just a big book nerd. Sue me.

And last night, my sister and I went to see Twilight. It was a really good movie. I've heard some negative things about it -- but really, it was good. It followed the book for the most part (granted, there were some things left out, but that happens with every book-to-movie conversion). And Robert Pattinson as Edward? Perfect casting. Just perfect.

As I walked out of the theater I felt the same urge that I feel after the Harry Potter movies - I want more NOW! I want the next movie NOW! Sadly, I'll have to wait for New Moon just as I have to wait for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. But I guess that just makes the movies THAT much better when they do finally open.