Unless you've been living in a coffin for the past year, you'll have heard of the Twilight Saga - the über-successful book and film franchise based on the forbidden-love story of mortal Bella Swan and the deadly-yet-gorgeous bloodsucker Edward Cullen. No doubt you'll be familiar with Bella's battles with both the undead and the usual teen dilemmas (just how does a gal keep the peace between her vampire boyfriend and werewolf best mate?).
But, Twi-hard fans look away now, because as the third instalment is about to be released, we've come to the conclusion that Bella's become a complete pain in the neck. With her puppy-dog adoration of Edward and her squirm-inducing need to be rescued by a man, it seems feminism has completely passed Bella by. And sadly, as the Twilight story has evolved, we can't say the same of her backbone.
Wimpy Bella, played by doe-eyed Kristen Stewart, 20, could do with a few lessons in kick-ass from that other vamp-lover Sookie Stackhouse - the southern belle in TV's True Blood. She has attitude and then some, which leaves pale-faced Ms Swan in the shade. Unlike boring Bella, Sookie (played by Anna Paquin) is capable of looking after herself and saving her vampire lover, Bill (gorge Stephen Moyer). More to the point, their relationship is one of equals, not whatever the fangster says goes.
We'd go so far as to say that Bella's behaviour is in danger of spawning a generation of wishy-washy women, all needing a man to define them. So is she one of the worst heroines in all of contemporary literature? Here are five reasons why we think Bella sucks...
She's a damsel in distress
Bella is so clumsy and accident-prone, it's a miracle she can get to high-school on her own without incident. Oh, scrap that, she can't. If she's not being scooped out of the way of a speeding car or saved from marauding thugs by Edward, she's in the woods, falling over then lying around waiting to be rescued. Or she's flinging herself off cliff tops, only to be - you guessed it - rescued by a guy.
And it's not as if any of the other women in Twilight are shining examples of strong female role models, either; they're all two-dimensional stereotypes. Even Alice Cullen, Edward's adoptive sister who has at least a smattering of sass, is confined to being interested only in designer clothes and organising events. Bella's high-school buddy, Angela (she wears glasses because, yep, she's the clever one) barely gets a look in.
It's just me, me, me!
We were teenagers, too. We know what it's like to think you're ugly and that nobody's ever going to love you. We can see why girls identify with Bella, but let's cut the cr*p. There's nothing wrong with being different. Pale skin, dark hair and a penchant for jeans and Converse hardly makes you an outsider. But there is something wrong if you believe your looks define you. Bella's intelligent, but she's so in awe of the Cullens' beauty, grace and brilliance, she can't appreciate her own qualities. "It never made sense for you to love me," she tells Edward. Girl...get a grip!
She's got no identity
If one of your friends decided they were into football and thrash metal just because their new boyfriend was, you'd think they were crazy. Similarly, if they ditched their plans to go to university for him, you'd be staging an intervention. But that's what Bella does. She's prepared to sacrifice her entire existence for the sake of a man. And, when he leaves her, she descends into a depression and makes it her life's work to endanger herself so he can rescue her. Call this the mark of an epic love story if you will; we call it mental.
It's all a bit too intense!
A relationship takes time to evolve, right? You talk, get to know each other, discover things in common. What you don't do is go from spotting each other across a crowded classroom to deciding to ditch the life you know for a man. Haven't we moved on from fairy tales?
As for Prince Charming, in what twisted world is it seen as romantic for a man to creep through your window to watch you sleep? Or take parts out of your car to stop you seeing your friends? To us, that's the equivalent of a controlling loon.
She treats her friends like total suckers
Not only does Bella ditch her friends to spend time with Edward (mates before men anyone?), but her behaviour towards Jacob Black, the new werewolf on the block, isn't exactly exemplary. She knows he wants to be more than just friends, and that it's torture for him to keep seeing her. Yet selfishly, she continues spending time with him because, in New Moon, it's a distraction from her longing for Edward (who's disappeared in the hope that she'll forget him). She can't, but she decides to make Jacob a friend-with-benefits anyway - with no thought for his feelings. Not exactly the behaviour of a good mate. In fact, where we come from, we've got a name for girls like that...
This article has 10 comments
i do agree with what this artical says but i must state that if you read the book (which i had to do for a conparison project at collage) you will notic that even thow there are many falts in the bella caracter there are parts where she does try and redem her self even thow they dont work to well.
By mich.. Posted July 22 2010 at 12:18 PM.
for god sake it's just a story..not real life,if it was then moan but it's not..bloody hell
By kayleigh.. Posted July 18 2010 at 1:06 AM.
I couldn't agree more with Claire Coleman. Bella Swan is not a strong character for young girls to look up to. Her character is not just too dependent on others but also suffers from inferiority complex. Big time!
By MatrixI.. Posted July 10 2010 at 10:40 AM.
It's wasn't me that mentioned the shakeseare thing...I believe that was fiona
By Hannah.. Posted July 9 2010 at 7:53 PM.
@Hannah: First off, Twilight is in no way a "forbidden" love story. Nobody initially objects to Bella's relationship with Edward, except for a couple high school girls and Jacob (both which object out of sheer jealously). It is NOTHING like Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet... Neither of their FAMILIES object to it: the Cullens in fact adore Bella (even Jasper, who wants to eat her, likes her and wants her to become one of them) and Charlie is accepts it (save for calling Edward out on being a douchebag and wanting his daughter to get out of unhealthy depression). None of their FRIENDS object to it. Half the school seems giddy over the hot gossip, actually. And Jacob doesn't count--EVERY girl on earth who falls in love with a guy will inevitably have some other guy who liked her and is bitter towards her S.O. because he's kicking himself for not acting first.
Also, this is fiction. Being somebody who reads Twilight, you might not understand the concept of literary devices, but generally speaking, "vampires" and "werewolves" in fiction don't literally represent vamps and werewolves. Bella is, for all intents and purposes, a spineless mopey doormat. Bella not once stands up for her rights or her own well-being. Sure, she tells Edward/Jacob what she wants and whines about things not going her way, but never does she threaten to walk away if they can't fulfill her needs or treat her like an equal. Soft-spokenly whining about wanting equality is not the same as grabbing it.
Also, this is fiction. Being somebody who reads Twilight, you might not understand the concept of literary devices, but generally speaking, "vampires" and "werewolves" in fiction don't literally represent vamps and werewolves. Bella is, for all intents and purposes, a spineless mopey doormat. Bella not once stands up for her rights or her own well-being. Sure, she tells Edward/Jacob what she wants and whines about things not going her way, but never does she threaten to walk away if they can't fulfill her needs or treat her like an equal. Soft-spokenly whining about wanting equality is not the same as grabbing it.
By Ashe.. Posted July 5 2010 at 11:33 PM.
I think this article was brilliant. I thought I was the only person who wasn't taken over by this 'twilightmania' that seems to of swept the nation. I find the story lines tedious and the main characters love story even more so. Trust me I love a good bit of romance in a film, but in Twilight, its all abit.....strange. I mean who would find someone climbing through your window, to watch you sleep romantic. The plot in Twilight is boring and Bella, and Edward's relationship is even more so. They are constantly depressed, and she could easily fit it, and make some friends. But no, she has to be awkward and fancy the vampire - when there is a prefectly suitable boyfriend material right in front of her, in the form of Jacob. What is the world coming to when this is called entertainment. Thank you Claire Coleman, for exposng Twilight for what it really is, a depressing, unispiring, unromantic story.
By Ellie.. Posted July 5 2010 at 6:43 PM.
Brilliant and all true, too. It saddens me that in the year 2010 there are characters not only this poorly written but just this weak.
Thank GOD there are plenty of ladies out there who realize that Bella is a terrible character and NOT to be looked up to and also that Edward is a stalking creep.
Thank GOD there are plenty of ladies out there who realize that Bella is a terrible character and NOT to be looked up to and also that Edward is a stalking creep.
By Jon David.. Posted July 5 2010 at 3:38 AM.
The reality is, this is an adaptation of a book so the on-screen characters can only portray aspects that we see and hear. In the book the description is so intense that we are able to see, hear and even taste and smell the struggles Bella goes through being in love with Edward and needing Jacob as a friend, not because she lacks feminism.
I recommend reading the books and not follow a Hollywood interpretation. Its true the films lack substance, mainly contains some major eye candy, but the true characters remain in the original text.
I recommend reading the books and not follow a Hollywood interpretation. Its true the films lack substance, mainly contains some major eye candy, but the true characters remain in the original text.
By Hannah.. Posted July 5 2010 at 1:32 AM.
It's a story. Get over it. You have based a complete article defining a character's fault. The writer wrote the character obvioulsy with the intension to keep her audience interested. Nothing sells better than the forbidden love story. Just look at Shakespheres very own Juliet who had the same intensity for her love to Romeo but do we question that characters actions of not being a feminist? No. Plus.... She is surrounded by a bunch of vampires and werewolves man would you not be vulnerable? Think about it.
By Fiona.. Posted July 4 2010 at 9:28 PM.
I couldn't agree with you more. I don't know why a character that doesn't have the balls to be independant is so treasured.
By Amber.. Posted July 4 2010 at 1:33 PM.
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