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The "Twilight" Saga - A Celebration of Pedophilia?

I'll admit that I enjoy making fun of all things "Twilight." I often make comments (in jest) that I know will rankle all my adult female friends who are as obsessed with Stephenie Meyer's novels (and the two movie adaptations) as the young girls at whom the series is aimed. It started out as a joke: ha ha, I'm a guy and I don't get it, ha ha. Then it morphed into simply being amused by the offended reactions I would get. In fairness to myself, I've made these jokes with friends who completely get my sense of humor and know that I am not really being condescending.

For example, yesterday morning I was making my weekly appearance on a local radio morning show, discussing the new films opening this weekend. New Moon was, of course, on that list. Knowing that the female co-host of the show (and a longtime personal friend) was a "Twilight" fan, I referred to it as "the phenomenon that has turned millions of teenage girls into raving lunatics." Her response was, "It has not!" I quickly replied with, "Yes it has," and moved on to the next thing. We all had a good laugh about it as soon as the microphones were off.
 
Then today I posted what I thought was a ridiculous Facebook status update, knowing that all my "Twilight"-loving friends would see it, chuckle, and make some smart-ass comment back to me. When I walked away from the computer, I started to think about what I'd written. That's when it dawned on me: That wasn't just a snarky little comment after all. It was kind of true. This realization disturbed me a bit, and also put its finger on what I think I have subconsciously resisted about the whole "Twilight" sensation thus far. Here's what I wrote:

"If Edward Cullen is hundreds of years old, and Bella is a teenager, then doesn't that make him a borderline pedophile for dating her?"
 
Stop and think about it for just a second. The books (and their subsequent movie adaptations) have made a big deal about the fact that the vampire Edward has been around for hundreds of years. Bella is seventeen when they meet. We therefore are left with a radically age-imbalanced relationship. Forget that Edward is several hundred years old. Reduce his age to, say, sixty. If a sixty year-old man was dating a teenager, what would you think of that? Would you think he was a pervert? Because I sure would. Would you read and cherish a novel that asked you not only to condone this relationship but also to hold it up as a thing of beauty? As far as I know, no one has ever walked around wearing a T-shirt that read "Team Humbert Humbert," and there are no fawning websites devoted to the "perfect romance" of Nabokov's "Lolita."
 
I know what some of you may be thinking: Edward was turned into a vampire at a young age, and so he remains that age for eternity. Perhaps that is so; nevertheless, age is ultimately about much more than physical appearance. Age is about experience and evolution. We grow old not simply by how our appearance deteriorates. It's not just about gray hair, and failing eyesight, and loss of hearing, and brittle bones. We grow old because we are literally around longer, able to go places, do things, and experience the world - and its remarkable cultural, technological, and political changes - to a greater degree.

Edward Cullen has totally done all of these things, and that makes him substantially older than Bella, in both the developmental and emotional senses. There is a scene in New Moon (and it's probably in the book too, although I wouldn't know since I didn't read it) where Edward is in English class and the teacher thinks he is not paying attention. He puts Edward on the spot, asking him to recite a monologue from "Romeo and Juliet." The vampire does it perfectly from memory. The joke of the scene is that we know Edward has been through school multiple times over the centuries. Bella, on the other hand, is here for the first time. A man who has already completed his schooling is far "older" than a girl who is still in the midst of it.
 
Consider as well the fact that Edward must have been romantically and/or sexually involved with other women over the course of his long undead existence. (Whether or not he admits that to Bella is another matter.) He is therefore more experienced than the virgin Bella. Edward is often shown agonizing over whether or not to "drink her blood." Taken in this line of interpretation, one could reasonably suggest that Edward is, in reality, fighting off the urge to molest this beautiful, much younger, much less worldly girl. His holding back is an acknowledgement that his deepest, strongest, most passionately held desires are wrong in the eyes of society.

So many women and girls I know refer to this saga as a "beautiful love story." They swoon over Edward and fantasize about finding a man just like him. More than once, I have heard him described as the "perfect man." Are these females in essence saying that they yearn for a man to take advantage of them, to strip them of their innocence prematurely? To exploit their naiveté? To overstep a societal/legal boundary in the name of "true love"? If Edward really is a dirty old man who wants date and possibly have his way with a teenage girl, how can he possibly be a symbol of male perfection? Personally, I think the dude is a sicko.

Now, in fairness, I'm 100% certain that Stephenie Meyer did not intend for her story to be a celebration of pedophilia. "Twilight" is obviously a metaphorical story about teen chastity and the pull between wanting to lose one's virginity and the fear of what that action will bring. There is another way to read this story, however, and the fact that it wasn't intentional does not invalidate it. When you get to the heart of things, the "Twilight" saga is, in some ways, a very creepy story about an old man's attempts to exploit a young girl for his own pleasure, and a young girl who is willing to let him do it. There's nothing "beautiful" about that.

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Comments

Ha!!

this person obviously hasn't looked up the definition of pedophile. it is a sexually mature taking advantage of a sexually immature in some physical way. Edward and Bella don't even have sexual relations until after she turns 18 and they are married. When they first hook up she is what 16 going on 17. is that really someone who is sexually immature physically or emotionally, in this day in age, or any age for that matter? There whole relationship is ephemeral at best with very few kiss, that I might add...she initiates, never Edward. Anyone can say what they want, but a professional news person has a responsibility to get the facts strait.

MIKE'S REPLY: I know the definition of a pedophile quite well, having studied Abnormal Psychology as a graduate student. The term refers to someone whose sexual preference is for children. Whether that is acted upon or not is almost beside the point; it's the preference that is diagnosable, not the action. The fact that Edward and Bella don't have sex until she is 18 is irrelevent. The much, much older Edward desires her while she is still underage, which creates the creepy, kind of repulsive effect I was writing about.

Is a 16 year old a child? When Edward was 16, it was quite common for young girls of that age to get married and have children. An unmarried woman at 20 was seen as an old maid.

You need to restudy the definition of pedophilia and the origin of its term. Richard von Kraft-Ebing defined pedophilia as sexual desire for prepubescent youths not for youth in their teens which in his time, the idea of a second childhood in the form of teenagers did not exist.

Your use of the word pedophile rather cheapens the true horror of an actual pedophile; someone who is not only morally wrong but wrong by the laws of nature as well.

MIKE'S REPLY: Your point is well taken, but let me elaborate further on my use of the word. Clinically speaking, you are correct that pedophilia refers to a sexual interest in prepubescent children. However, culturally speaking, the word's meaning has been broadened to refer to any adult who attempts to have an inappropriate relationship with a minor. Our laws reflect this. For instance, a 50 year-old man who attempts to become romantically or sexually involved with a teenage girl could be arrested, jailed, and forced to register as a sex offender under Megan's Law. Edward Cullen would be subject to these same laws, theoretically speaking, if law enforcement officials knew his true age.

Doesn't all of this depend on the age of consent laws where ever this Bella girl lives? If the age of consent is 16 in her state than claiming Edward is a pedo is moot. To accuse some1 of doing something wrong, just b/c of some self-imposed, contemporary, social taboos, though what they are doing is legal isn't logical. Plus, since he is centuries old, unless he is going to date another vampire there is no situation where a human would be on is level mentally, emotionally etc. To resign himself to eternity alone or only banging 99yos wouldn't be fair. The real message of twilight is that 1 deserves to bag a hot piece regardless of 1s age.

Doesn't all of this depend on the age of consent laws where ever this Bella girl lives? If the age of consent is 16 in her state than claiming Edward is a pedo is moot. To accuse some1 of doing something wrong, just b/c of some self-imposed, contemporary, social taboos, though what they are doing is legal isn't logical. Plus, since he is centuries old, unless he is going to date another vampire there is no situation where a human would be on is level mentally, emotionally etc. To resign himself to eternity alone or only banging 99yos wouldn't be fair. The real message of twilight is that 1 deserves to bag a hot piece regardless of 1s age.

You really should read the book. The way ALL the vampires physically interact with Bella is exactly the way adults might interact with a 4 year old. They will randomly scoop her up into their arms and carry her around. They have to be very careful not to injure her with their strength. Edward randomly invades her room and her privacy. Even when Bella dances with Edward (before she is injured even) it is with her balancing on his feet. The whole thing is more than a bit creepy in that way, and the movie thankfully toned that aspect way down.

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