As many of you have heard, I watched Twilight last night. It was a strange feeling knowing that I am the first man to ever see the film. I felt that someone had to break the barrier, why couldn't it be me? At least I thought I was the first man ever to see the flick, but it turns out that my brother Jacob actually saw the movie in the theater! I would sneer at his lack of testosterone, but this is - after all, a blog entry in which I admit that I actually saw the same movie. (Sorry Jake to out you about your Twilight viewing, but you freely offered this information to the group tonight.)I'm not going to get into the overall lameness of the film, which was bountiful and corny - and would make for a full, lively blog entry. Nor am I going to mock the pale faced looks of Sir Edward, A.K.A "Diggory" of Harry Potter fame. I am simply going to broach a single issue about the whole Twilight phenomenon that I find very confusing.
While watching the movie, I realized the entire story is about a teenage girl! In fact, the plot, the characters and the entire story seemed very - shall we say - "pubescent" to me. Given that the only people that I have ever met that are obsessed by this book are women aged 20-40, I was utterly shocked that this was a story written for teenage girls. I had simply assumed that the lead characters were in their 20's.
All I have heard from women that have seen this movie is how shockingly handsome Edward is - and he is all of 16 years old in the movie. Additionally, I have tutored many teenage girls at Sylvan, most of which have reading material, and not one of them has ever had a Twilight book. Further, not one of them has ever even talked about their love for Twilight. Twilight seems to be have found an audience in bored housewives and blossoming cougars.
All of this begs the question: What attracts women aged 20-40 to this story that is clearly written for an entirely different audience? Perhaps those Twilight fans out there can enlighten me?
6 comments:
I wouldn't really call myself a FAN of the books. I read the first two after EVERY WOMAN I KNOW told me that I had to read them. They were okay but they didn't really lure me in to finish the series. I know a lot of teenagers (girls and boys) who have read the series but you're right it is crazy that so many grown women are in love with this teenage boy.
That's good that you're open to actually seeing the movie though. My husband would never watch this movie. He has made too much fun of the books (and made fun of all our nieces and nephews (and me) for reading them). If I ever played the movie in our house, he would leave the room and turn on something loud so he wouldn't hear a word of it. And if he was strapped to a chair facing the movie, he would close his eyes and yell or sing songs at the top of his lungs so that he wouldn't have to hear any of it. And if his eyelids were forced open and his mouth taped shut then he would go into a happy place in his mind and let his brain sleep for a few hours while he stared off into space. Yeah, he's kind of the opposite extreme.
Abe- you just don't spend enough time with teenage girls. Most of them are every bit as obsessed as the women, with the exception of my daughter and I. She refuses to read the books or see the movie. I have read the books but don't think they're all that great. Also, there are quite a few 5th and 6th grade girls who are obsessesd which I find a little worrisome. Edward may look like a teenager, but he acts like the hundred years old that he is- he's a father-figure "with benefits"- as my teenage son would say.
Good for you to cross the barrier and try to understand the mystery of the female mind.
First off Abe, I just learned something from your blog! I knew Edward was familiar but I didn't know he was Cedric Diggory!
You already know I hated this movie but I loved the first 2 books. And I thought you needed to read the books before seeing the movie or it's kind of all over the place. I hated the girl in the movie. I liked the Cullen siblings. They seemed a bit creepy.
I wouldn't recommend the book to the young teenagers it seemed to be written for. I remember when I was at Costco a grandmother asked a worker if it was for 12 year old girls and the worker emphatically said Yes. Right then I thought I must be turning into my mother because I wouldn't want my 12 year old to read it. When I was in elementary school my mom wouldn't let us listen to "Centerfold" or "Another one Bites the Dust" plus a few others because she didn't approve. That's how I feel about Twilight and young teens.
My sister in-law has a "Bite Me, Edward" tee shirt.
Abe, I took Heather to see it on her birthday...wouldn't you do the same for your wife?
Lindsey - your husband sounds like is a pretty cool dude.
Stacy - You know, you are right. My wife says that all her Young Women are obsessed with this thing as does the girl that vacumes my room.
Tammy - interesting that your mom wouldn't let you listen to those songs, but she was very leniant in so many other ways.
Steve - I am sorry for your brother.
Jake - Of course I would. I mean I watched it home with my wife, didn't I?
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