Journal Analysis
Ashlee Mooter
Popular Culture
Professor Whitney Iles
August 2, 2014
Journal Analysis
In Danielle N. Borgia’s article Twilight: The Glamorization of Abuse, Codependency, and White
Privilege, she leads readers into undertones of the story that were not
visible to the blind eye. When reading fiction romance novels, most are not
captivated by real life dynamics portrayed, but in the fictional aspects of the
piece. If readers were looking to read into the real life scenarios, they would
most likely chose to read a non-fiction love story. This story is also geared
to a female teenage fan base, who like myself at first glance are unable to see
the points that are made. Because of her in depth look, I can see the gothic
romance series in a whole new light.
Borgia states in her article, that the protagonist,
Bella Swan is an impressionable young woman. She is abruptly consumed with this
mysterious creature, Edward Cullen, upon first glance. She is captivated by his
impressing good looks, and even more by his standoffish demeanor towards her.
She sees this as a challenge, and makes it her mission to break the hard
exterior of this beautiful creature.
Borgia points out that through this journey capture
his affection, she becomes increasingly obsessed with him. She is more and more
intrigued with his protectiveness over her which she sees as his outward sign
of masculinity, but Borgia points out that it is more possessiveness. Not only
does Edward come into Bella’s room at night to watch her while she sleeps, but
also in later books does he enlist the help of his sister to keep watch of her
while he is gone. As Borgia identified, Edward wanted to know where Bella was
and what she was doing at all times.
Bella is even more captivated by Edward when she
finds out what the sun does to him. Unlike other stories including vampires,
Edward did not burn to death, but instead glistened in the sun. This made him
even more desirable to Bella. The emphasis that was put on his unnaturally pale
skin is not a good projection of body image on young women. Points made like
this, could be the reason that some African-American women have went so far as
to bleach their skin. The media’s portrayal of whiteness being beauty is
skewing reality. Borgia stated “This persistence of whiteness as a predominant factor
in US identity is not acceptable in other forms of discourse; yet the gothic
trope of the vampire enables this reactionary value to reenter mainstream” (Borgia,
2014, 166). By hiding these prejudices under a fiction story does not make this
okay, it is only blanketing the effect that is has on the media.
Because of her infatuation with Edward, Bella is
completely consumed by him. She wakes up thinking about him, and goes to sleep
thinking of him as well. She no longer seemed to be able to make her decisions
on her own without having to consult him or thinking what his reaction would
be. In one book, Edward goes missing and she is completely distraught, so much
that she is not able to function normally. She is withdrawn from the rest of
her life, and only then when she is lonely does she seek that companionship of
her friend, Jacob. But once Edward returns, she is back to being completely
wrapped up in him.
At first watch (of the films), I as a young adult,
saw an innocent love story. This young girl completely falls for a boy and
knows that it is true love, and will do anything and everything for this young
man. After taking a step back and reading Daniella N. Borgia’s interpretation
of the stories do I see from another point of view. The Twilight Saga was
geared toward tween and teenaged girls, and at that age, most would not think
as deeply or see the undertones that were portrayed as Borgia did.
After reading Borgia’s full analysis of these books
and films do I have to agree with her findings. These stories depict a weak
female who needs to feel the protection from a man in order to survive. The
stories also show an unhealthy connection between a man and a woman, where one
is not able to function in the absence of the other. In the stories, Bella
essentially loses herself and doesn’t believe that she had a life worth living
before finding this incredible man who will now always protect her.
Even if these messages came from the subconscious of
the author, this is not a good portrayal to her target audience. Should girls
grow up thinking that they are weak and need a male in their life to make it
worth living? Do females always need a man around? Or do women need to conform
to the ideas of a weak woman to please her man? I think because of portrayals
of women in this light, when movies like Disney’s Frozen was released, there
was a big to do about the first princess who was her own hero. Even though she
thought she needed a man she just met, she found her true loves kiss, or hug in
their case, with her sister.
As a mother, I wouldn’t want my daughter to watch
movies like the Twilight Saga, and see it for anything other than fiction. But
when there seems to be so many subliminal messages of how a woman should be
submissive to her male partner, and how women cannot be a functioning member of
society without a male counterpart, these are not the things that young girls
should be subject to. Just like if you grew up in a house with abuse, you are
more likely to put yourself in the same type of situation, I do not want an
abusive relationship glamorized for the young girls in today’s society.
References
Borgia,
D. N. (2014). Twilight: The Glamorization of abuse, Codependency, and White Privilege.
The Journal of Popular Culture, 47(1), 153-173. Retrieved from Electronic
Journal Center.
