To them, Stephanie Meyer seems a purer, more disgusting distillation of Anne Rice–the trend of seeing vampires as fully rounded characters, capable of guilt and other emotions.

But that seems to describe very well those who use one specific derogatory term for “Twilight” over and over: Gay.Īnother faction of Twihaters–with some (but only some) crossover with the misogynists–are the hardcore horror fans. Misogyny seems sadly alive and well doesn’t it?Ĭlaiming this accounts for all the Twihate would be wrong, inflammatory as well as just inaccurate. Especially when you compare this image to James Bond–the ultimate cool guy who personally kills half the women he sleeps with, and never ever seems to even kiss the same woman twice. That such an idea inspires contempt seems worrying. But look at the fantasy in “Twilight.” A beautiful, sensitive and lonely young man falls in love with a girl, desires her beyond all reason, but not only maintains his self-control, gets intense pleasure from her presence. This, in a society where the fantasies of teenage boys are very nearly a sacrament! The dream of becoming a professional sports star or a wholesale killer with a lot of style (Batman, the Terminator, etc.), or simply to have that car that does everything but travel light speed–these permeate our culture. Much seems to come from gender bias, specifically disdain for the romantic fantasies of teenage girls.

Of course, no one answer will cover every Twihater, so what follows applies only to certain popular (or at least loud) factions of the movement…

People who hate “Twilight” the way Birthers hate President Obama, or the way cowboys and farmer used to genuinely hate each other. People who don’t like the films yet go see them anyway just to gain fuel for their attacks. The comments from those who’ve never read the books or seen a movie, but claim absolute knowledge on the subject. I’m talking about the sustained loathing that makes it impossible for some to let any mention of the series go by without a disparaging remark. But what about the other side of it? Why the hate? Not dislike in the same way some of us avoid football or soap operas or refuse to go on Facebook. Countless articles and blogs try to answer the questions about its popularity, some of them vivid, even insightful. He flatly refused to believe me.Īstonishing the emotional impact of these four books by a Mormon housewife. Having seen the film a few days before, I told him plenty of adults of both genders were in the cinema. Some one went on about “Twilight” and how nothing but 14-year-old girls watched the thing (this, tellingly, was said with absolute disdain). I read a review of “Breaking Dawn Part 1” that began with the words “worst movie ever.” My reaction? Had this person never seen “Ishtar”? “Dracula 3000”? What about “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” or virtually anything directed by Uwe Boll? Or the entire “Star Wars” prequel trilogy?

Why do the vampires in twilight sparkle