Summary Of Carmen Siering's 'Taking A Bite Out Of Twilight'
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Team Edward or Team Jacob? Mothers and daughters that have read Stephenie Meyer's novel Twilight are typically swooned by either werewolf Jacob or vampire Edward. Hence, fans end up taking a side as to whom the main character, Bella, should be with. “Taking a Bite Out of Twilight” by Carmen Siering examines and questions the portrayal of Bella as a flat character. As feminists such as Siering begin to scrutinize Twilight, one specific question seems to come to mind: Why not team Bella? In order to answer this question, one may examine the message that objectification of women in advertisement exploits: women are inferior to men. The article “Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt” by Jean Kilbourn addresses objectification and submission of women in…show more content… However, one contradiction they both seem to overlook is the fact that feminism is all about the right to choose. Kilborn implies that sex in advertising devalues women. Yet, she fails to acknowledge that the body in an advertisement belongs to a model who has made a conscious choice about who can see her body. Furthermore, most advertisements aim to encourage empowerment. Nudity empowers some while modestly empowers others. Therefore, women should be able to make their own decisions regarding their sexuality. Likewise, Siering critiques that Bella is not a feminist character because “all of the choices Bella makes are Meyer’s choices - choices perhaps based on her own background as a member of the highly patriarchal Mormon Church” (440). This has little relevance, because regardless of what an individual bases their choices off of, it is theirs to make. Arguing that the author created the choices for Bella is insignificant in the aspect of defending Twilight’s anti-feminism. Siering may have made a point if she emphasized male dominance within the characters; however, who would have read Twilight if it was about a bunch of girls? Young female readers desire the romance and dominance, otherwise they wouldn't have read it. Moreover, feminism is a range of movements and ideas that may be defined differently by each