Twilight Without the Cringe: Which Storyline Should We Erase from History?
It's been over a decade since Stephanie Meyer's Twilight was published, and the franchise's fandom is still going strong.
Whether you love the books, the movies, or both, there's no denying that the Twilight Saga has had a huge impact on popular culture. But for all its die-hard fans, there are just as many people who can't stand the franchise.
And it's not hard to see why.
The Bella-Edward-Jacob love triangle is eye-rollingly clichéd, the dialogue is often cringeworthy, and the entire premise is problematic.
Given all of this, it's no surprise that Meyer has been under fire in recent years. But despite the backlash, she has remained steadfast in her support of the franchise.
In fact, she's even been working on new Twilight books. Let's take a look at some of the plotlines even fans wish weren't included in the series.
The portrayal of relationships
There are numerous problematic relationship points in Twilight. Its overall message about relationships is ghastly. Firstly, the relationship between Bella and Edward is extremely unhealthy and co-dependent.
And then there's the fact that Jacob essentially sexually assaults Bella in the third book. What makes this worse, then, is her dad's reaction to the event and not seeing it as Jacob forcing himself on his daughter.
Jacob imprinting on Renesmee in Twilight is definitely more creepy than cringey. It's not just the pedophilic undertones that have been criticized but also how it's not in any way like the character that Meyer built up for Jacob throughout the series: he sought his own destiny and free will.
To write the imprinting element to the storyline just takes away the essence of Jacob's character.
Racial undertones
Another problem fans have with Twilight is the racial undertones. The main character, Bella Swan, is a white woman who falls in love with a vampire, Edward Cullen.
While there are characters of color in the series, they are generally portrayed as either evil or subservient to the white characters. This has led many to accuse the Twilight Saga of perpetuating racist stereotypes.
Arguably the area that's brought about the most criticism is the portrayal of Native Americans. In the books, Native Americans are described as primitive and savage, which many people find offensive.
Additionally, the author has been accused of appropriating Native American culture without permission.
The unnecessary love triangle
Edward, Bella, and Jacob could've easily been friends without any romantic entanglements. The love triangle created unnecessary conflict and drama that could have been avoided.
Bella's relationship with Jacob could have been platonic and a friendship that she could rely on as she navigated the new world she found herself in. What many fans argue is this love triangle just adds an unoriginal layer of cringe.
While there are some great aspects to the Twilight series, there are also some major cringe-worthy elements. Is the franchise of its time? Can we expect better from the new books that Meyer is writing?