Stephenie Meyer’s novel Twilight has accumulated a mass following of die hard fans known as “twihards”. Her fanbase consisting of majority young women are left swooning over a fraudulent version of a perfect man in Edward Cullen; a strong, dominant masculine figure who lusts for every drop of a woman. The novel’s popularity is due to its ability to play into common insecurities, fantasies, and ideas about love and romance. Though through a feminist lens Edward could be viewed as oppressive, and limiting Bella to what he deems as acceptable feminine behaviour. The obsessive nature of the fans carries over to what is perceived as the picture perfect relationship of Edward and Bella. Contrary to this image of a perfect relationship, the relationship between Bella and Edward is far from ideal and only glorifies an unequal relationship, one in which the woman is dependent on the man, and templates an abusive relationship. With such a large audience of impressionable young women, the popularity of this novel is concerning as through a feminist viewpoint the novel depicts unsettling gender ideology that conforms to gender stereotypes. Considering the effect media can have today on audiences and the majority age of the twilight series viewership, the novel’s wrongful encouragement of gender norm stereotypes and an unhealthy relationship can be conceptualized as ideal by its readers. This paper will argue that Stephanie Meyer’s novel Twilight constructs a stereotypical image of women and relationships that characterize women as inferior to men. Also, repercussions of upholding these gendered stereotypes could lead young readers to falsely idealize the image of women where they are inferior to men and view relationships as an outlet to submit to men as well as accept abuse as an element of a healthy relationship.
Firstly the novel’s portrayal of power in a relationship depicts the women as oppressive and as a result of compliance on both sides, the notion of an unequal relationship is seen as acceptable. Edward refers to himself as the “lion who fell in love with the lamb” (Meyer 274). To Edward, Bella is automatically positioned as the lamb due to his physical superiority over her and therefore a power dynamic is already established in the relationship. Additionally by positioning himself as the lion, Edward asserts the stereotypical gendered dominance associated with being the man of the relationship. Bella, on the other hand, is forced to accept her role as the lamb and must succumb to the power of both the lion and Edward or she will be hunted. The threat of being hunted by Edward also eludes to the oppressive power he has over Bella and due to the threat Edward poses to her life she cannot escape him. Although Bella’s power is not given up voluntarily Edward is assuming Bella will submit to him. This willingness to give power to a strong male figure conveys a message that women are suppose to, or are predisposed to comply to a masculine figure. By simply calling himself the lion Edward has unknowingly positioned himself into a stereotypical masculine gender role and placed Bella into a stereotypical female role. However, Bella’s failure to challenge her role in the relationship also supplements the idea of the unequal relationship. Bella accepts her role as the lamb and likewise accepts Edward as the dominant partner in the relationship. The active performance by both Edward and Bella to acknowledge their roles as stereotypically masculine and stereotypically feminine respectively form the ideal that Twilight illustrates about power in a relationship; there is a choice for women to choose whether to submit to a masculine figure or not but often the dominance of the masculine figure forces or drives women to believe that submitting is expected decision. It characterizes women as the weaker partner in relationships and positions them as inferior to their male counterparts.
Before meeting Edward, Bella was challenging the notion of femininity. Although she could initially be found to be quite the feminist character, her dependence on Edward and continued performance of stereotypically feminine traits locates her as upholding gender norms. Early evidence of her independence is evident when she moves into the town Forks and she is able to manage everyday life by herself. However Bella does not live up to her initial image of an independant woman, rather she becomes physically and mentally dependant on Edward after meeting him.
There were multiple instances where Edward had to come to Bella’s rescue, and therefore it illustrated the physical weakness of the female actor. The importance of “saving” Bella not only upholds the stereotype that the man must save woman but also highlights Bella’s physical dependence on Edward and automatically positions Bella as a victim (Meyer 272). In a situation where power is beyond her control, the victimization of Bella belittles her strength as a woman and gives a greater sense of superiority and dominance to Edward. In addition to saving Bella from dangerous situations, Edward is often carrying her around as she does not have the physical capabilities of a vampire. Edward often does so without permission and therefore robs Bella of her will. She is treated like a possession of Edward’s and he does with Bella as he pleases. Bella recounts that Edward was "cradling me in his arms like a small child" (Meyer 280). This infantilizes Bella and emphasizes her need to be protected physically and mentally. The inferior image produced by the physical weakness of Bella speaks to stereotypical gender constructs that a woman is physically weak and dependent on a man. Bella’s need to rely on Edward composes a sense of forgotten individuality, where Bella is unable to protect herself. It also constructs the idea that once a masculine figure is present, feminine figures loose power and are assumed to automatically submit to their male counterparts.
Furthermore, there is a pattern of Edward forcefully demanding Bella to perform certain tasks. He tells her to “just eat” (Meyer 315), “get dressed”(Meyer 318), “take your hair down”(Meyer 373). All three times Bella is “obediently” compliant and never reciprocates any requests towards Edward (Meyer 373). We can view these interactions as the male authoritarian figure demanding something and the submissive female character complying. Again the endorsement of stereotypical gender roles teaches younger readers that their is an unequal balance of power that is not suppose to be contested, but rather should be accepted without question. Additionally the tasks Bella is asked to perform alludes to the mental reliance she has on Edward. What are otherwise simple tasks, Edward is able to assert gendered dominance by demanding that she do such things. It also shows Bella’s incompetence and an individual and emphasizes how she must comply to Edward. Even Bella acknowledges that “it really seemed that my life was about him” (251). Bella’s active performance to adhere to Edward makes her lose the independence she had before meeting Edward. This relationship is a representation of an unhealthy relationship that upholds gender roles. The female is characterized as physically and mentally dependent on the male while the male is dominant, controlling and oppressive. The woman is viewed as mentally inferior and must rely on the male figure and seek for his approval.
Bella is not only able to express a stereotypical feminine identity with Edward. Her relationship with Charlie likewise also enables her to exhibit normative feminine traits. Given that Charlie “can’t cook at all” Bella takes it upon herself to assume the stereotypical role of a household woman (Meyer 467). She started cooking and cleaning constantly for Charlie as soon as she arrived in Forks and even requested to be “assigned kitchen detail for the duration of her stay” (Meyer 31). She made Charlie’s meals her responsibility and even left him notes to where she left food. Charlie is a stereotypical working man who focuses on his work and has little to no household skills. As a result of Charlie’s household deficiencies, Bella is compelled to keep him well fed. Although Bella is not obligated to take on the household duties, she finds enjoyment out of it. Additionally Charlie does not challenge Bella or offer to take some of the household responsibilities, rather he just allows her to do everything. This allows the reader to recognize that the household duties are the responsibility of a female figure.
Violence or the threat of violence is not seen as improper in Edward and Bella’s relationship but rather induces excitement and is seen as desirable by the female actor. Bella and Edward’s lustful relationship depicts the threat of violence as excitement and an acceptable element in a healthy relationship. Sexual tension is plentiful in the novel but it is also often broken by a threat of violence. Rather than being discouraged by the threat of violence, there is often a reciprocation of love or excitement that further encourages abuse in the relationship. Up high in a mountain, Edward is alone with Bella and warns he could “crush her skull by mistake” and make it seem like an “accident” (Meyer 310). Edward is alluding to the fact the he may not be able to control his bloodthirst for Bella and may kill her in an act of love. However Bella is not disturbed by Edward’s threat of abuse and instead finds it to be romantic. Even telling him that she “has never felt like this about anyone before, not even close” (Meyer 310). Edward threatens Bella’s life but yet she accepts it, finds it attractive and reciprocates by confessing to him. Bella’s inability to recognize the potential risk of Edward and instead being attracted to the forbidden nature of their relationship speaks to the fantasy of a forbidden love. Bella’s desire for this forbidden relationship, despite it having abusive qualities, drives her to be blinded by Edward’s exterior while she fails to recognize the possible exploitation of herself. Edward’s romantic warning is a threat of abuse but because it is romanticized the gesture can be seen as acceptable. By reciprocating and not challenging Edward, Bella is indicating that it is acceptable for men to threaten women with violence. This romanticized violence is a facade for what is potentially a promotion of dangerous relationships. Young readers may interpret this romanticized violence as acceptable because the female character accepts it and finds it attractive. However, it conveys a message that the female should reciprocate love in an abusive relationship and that the concept of a forbidden love is desireable. Additionally it also reinforces gender stereotypes by placing males into a dominant abuser role and females into a submissive role. This upholding of gendered stereotypes glorifies how one should act in order to conform to the gender roles in society.
In Conclusion, in Stephenie Meyer’s book Twilight, Edward and Bella conform to a great extent to gender stereotypes. Edward is presented as an alpha male who uses his power as a vampire to oppress Bella to conform to what he believes is as normative femininity. This speaks to gender normative roles where the male is dominant and the female is submissive. Edward’s authoritarian approach to the relationship promotes the an unequal relationship where Bella, the female actor becomes physically and mentally dependent on its male counterpart. By complying to Edward’s oppression and failing to challenge him, Bella also supplements and accepts the idea of women being submissive in and unequal relationship. Additionally Bella’s characterization of weakness in the novel also illuminates the stereotype that women are inferior to men and there is an active reliance on them. This interpretation of an unequal relationship can lead young readers to idealize this version of a relationship as desirable because of the romanticization of it. Furthermore, violence in the relationship is deemed acceptable and viewed as desirable and a generator of romantic excitement. This promotes the involvement in dangerous relationships and glorifies romanticized violence as acceptable. On the surface level, Edward and Bella’s relationship could be perceived as ideal but upon further examination, there are undertones of gender stereotyping, and promotion of an unequal and abusive relationship. Therefore the idealization of such a relationship is dangerous and instead should be discouraged for a young audience.