These past three days I have been reading through the four-book Twilight series. And having just admitted that… I am now absolutely embarrassed. Thankfully, (and as odd as this will sound), I don’t receive too many visitors to my site that actually hold curiosity for me. So this admission won’t be too mortifying.

source: robert-pattinson.net/

source: kristenstewart.org

Why I read the series…
It started with mild interest in the movie, Twilight. After seeing a trailer I was intrigued enough see it in a theater. Let’s just say I was… very, very, very wrong in what I thought it was about.
Now my defense…
I do not consider myself predictable…nor sappy for that matter. Normally, I do not seek out fantasy-romance novels. It’s not appealing enough to give time to, let alone a foolish young adult series that has a “happily-ever-after-ending.” I find those endings rather easy by not illustrating how dynamic life and love truly are.
I mainly prefer non-fiction;
books that analyze the mind…poetry, prose and essays, that allow the reader to interpret without finality, that allow the reader to revisit with new eyes in the future…contemporary artists books that intrigue and inspire…autobiographies of artists and eccentrics whose lives were wrought with mistakes and who could quite literally be described as certifiably insane…or, if I do pick up a fiction novel, it would more than likely be one from the classics.
I just don’t care for neatly packaged stories that do not reflect the realities of life. I do not like the delusions of Disney-esque-stories.
A snooty reader…possibly.
(I know… then why did I even bother reading the series?)

To give-in to a vampire fantasy-romance almost seemed like a failure to me. I will admit there were elements of the story I admired, but I quickly pushed those giddy-juvenile thoughts aside. The romance-fantasy between the two main characters Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, allowed its audience to gratify themselves with the hope that in our reality lives a similar perfection. The adjectives that continually described Edward Cullen’s physical perfection became extremely nauseating.

To attempt to achieve perfection in what one does is one thing, but to try and find it in another person physically, is just so cruel, especially to Meyer’s teenage readers. After reading the Twilight series, I believe many young teenagers will attempt to find a perfect partner like Edward Cullen. And very likley many may just try to molest the actual actor Robert Pattinson in their Edward Cullen quest. I can only imagine the new heartthrob reality Robert Pattinson’s (aka Cedric Diggory, from Harry Potter, mildy amusing to me), will now have to deal with from rabid-romance fans. I couldn’t and wouldn’t want to imagine being Robert Pattinson or Kristen Stewart. To lose anonymity and be thought of as two fantastically unrealistic fictional characters would fall into one of my worst nightmares.

The most frustrating part of the story was Bella’s inability to be a strong, non-clumsy individual. It irritated me. I could see how the female audience aligned themselves with Bella. Even I admit to sharing some commonalities with her from my childhood…but I was completely opposite in her lack of composure.
I asked myself…of all the young adult novels written from a female’s perspective…why couldn’t this character in such a high grossing sale book be a true heroine?? Why couldn’t this series show the courage behind, not just the sacrifices of love, but the realities of life?? Some could argue the author Stephanie Meyer did through Edward Cullen. His constant worries about Bella’s life being “taken away” and not evolving as most humans lives should. (That sentence right there is almost too much for a realist/ pragmatist like myself to bear.)

The heroines from stories I have admired have been independent in thought. Relied not on others, but themselves and have made tremendous sacrifices that are probably not considered to be obvious sacrifices either. There are small decisions that get a person to culminating points in life. Small decisions that make up the larger ones. I wish this story could have illustrated a young women who understood how to make it through a biased world and still found unique ways to push beyond the obvious (read: puppy-love qualms) and instead hurdle beyond true life adversities.

With all of my harsh criticisms, I have to keep reminding myself…this is a young adult fantasy and nothing more. To ask more of it, like I currently am, would be asking for an entirely different story, in a different genre, with completely different characters.
In that case…it would not be a best selling novella-series and would definitely not be turned into a teenage romance movie.

I think I’m better off when I don’t venture into the mainstream.

All Saints Clothing has a clean yet very unique style that the boyish side of me is drawn to. It’s inspiring…but coupled with the start of winter I’m left wanting cover myself in black and greys and also tempted to dye my chestnut brown hair black…
hmmm…
we’ll see…






source: allsaints.co.uk/brand/

“Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope?”

“I will never wear heels.
But I will wear these.”
Just so simple and they look so comfortable.


source: common projects.com
via: thelooksee.com