Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

Amelia Moreno
Saint Xavier University
The Vampire in my Bedroom:
Exploring the Cultural Impacts of the Twilight Series
The Twilight Saga is compromised of four books (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn),
the first of which hit bookstores in October of 2005. The reading frenzy that followed after these books has
since been compared to the popularity of the Harry Potter series. However, where the controversy stirred by
Harry Potter centered on religion, the Twilight series has stirred up discontent with feminism and, more
specifically, adolescent female sexuality. Many have argued the value of Isabella Swan as a strong female
role model for teenage girls and many have argued against her merits. Both sides have taken ample
examples from the series, sometimes using the exact same passages and assigning completely polar
meanings. There is, of course, a problem with this binary categorization: both groups fail to explain or
explore why this series is so popular or why this may be problematic for those with limited romantic
experience. Those that are opposed to the series, have articulated the best argument against the
representations of love and sexuality for girls these books present yet have still failed to identify the most
prevalent force working against them: silence. It is not so much what the books ‘say’ or represent, but
rather the ubiquitous silence that comes attached to love and sexuality adolescents whose primary form of
learning acceptable behavior is reading cultural texts (books, magazines, movies, etc.) and retelling the
stories they have learned.
Some readers are quick to point out the abusive elements in Edward and Bella’s relationship. They
are quick to condemn Bella for her stupid ‘choices’ and her willingness to disregard her safety,
independence, and her life in the name of her love for this vampire man-boy. These are all valid and truthful
claims to the dynamics of Bella and Edward’s relationship, especially in Book One and Two of the series,
but they fail to take into account why, despite these claims of abuse in our post feminist and enlightened age,
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