Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

the series is still devoured by women and adolescents on a massive scale. Obviously, this simple story fills
some need or answers some question girls have about interactions within the bounds of a romantic
relationship. Bella and Edward‟s codependency is abusive, but it is branded as „deeply seductive‟ on the
back cover of the first book, reflecting the dichotomous nature of what is considered a „normal‟ female
sexuality. Jacob, the werewolf and Bella‟s best friend, is not a better choice for Bella simply because he
offers fewer restrictions to her sexuality. In fact, he continually acts in ways that makes Bella uncomfortable
by being too forceful, as if trying to make her express her sexuality without her consent. In either case,
Bella occupies the role of „the influenced‟ and has her autonomy repeatedly denied.
These subtle interactions between the characters, when read in the light of what Jessica Valenti
explains in her book The Purity Myth as the “virgin/whore dichotomy,” which is to say either you are a pure
woman that does not participate in (any form of) sexual activity or you are a “dirty girl” that participates too
much, highlight the way girls are brought up to “blank out” during sensual or sexual stimulation. In order to
maintain the purity of girlhood, and keep innocence unblemished, while still being a physical being with
desires, a woman must learn early to “let sex happen,” “get caught up in the moment,” and maintain a
distance between herself and her sexual actions. The main problem lies with our culture‟s black-and-white
view of female sexuality that leaves no middle ground for a girl to become a woman as she learns the
healthy and safe ways to express or satisfy her needs. There cannot be any planning if sex “just happens,”
and there cannot be any discussion of the complexity of sexuality if sex is supposed to be nonexistent
outside of the heterosexual marriage bed. The Twilight series acknowledges the physicality of a teenage
girl‟s existence; unfortunately, it offers marriage and childbearing as the ultimate transformation for a girl
to reach, leaving no room for further development. The series is also unable to fill in the gaps between the
misinformation or explain the overt, violent, and convoluted sexuality experienced in girl‟s everyday lives.
The result is that stereotypes are reinforced and girls are left with a view of sexuality, their own and their
partners, that is truncated at best or a patchwork of myth and half-truths that perpetuate sickly sexuality in
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