Oh my, Angie- I fear you don’t know what you’ve started here! The battle between the Twi-hards and the Twi-haters can get quite heated I totally respect anyone’s right to like these books and movies, but I’m afraid I can’t contain my dislike.

My take on the books (I only managed to get through 1.5 of them, at the urging of some friends) is that they’re nothing more than thinly veiled religious propaganda aimed at 14-year-old girls who don’t understand the difference between good writing and wanting to kiss a boy. They’re honestly horrifically written, but Stephanie Meyer is a millionaire now, so good on her, I guess. I haven’t seen the movies but might add the first one to my Lovefilm acc’t (like Netflix) to see if I prefer it.

Having said all that mean stuff, I was a *huge* Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan back in the day, so I definitely understand the whole vampire-allure thing. Not sure I would have been into a fashion line, though- Buffy sported some weird looks.

Hah! Ele, I am so out of touch! Thanks for the extra thought provoking info.

I haven’t read the books but have heard my literary friends say what you say – that they are very badly written. I’m not going to read the books but I will see the rest of the movies just because the story line has caught my attention. There are so, so, so many bad movies with weak plots on at the cinema these days, that I have welcomed the Twilight saga with open arms. Perhaps this is more of a movie for older adults

Oh my!! Angie has fallen for the vampires! Several of my friends are completely obsessed with the books (and I’m talking moms in their 30s and 40s). They say it has improved their marriages

I tried to get sucked in, but to no avail. The writing in Twilight was SO bad that it kept taking me out of the story (i.e. “It was” used to start three sentences on the first page alone. And “There was” does not count as an improvement, Stephenie!! Still, I respect anyone who can tell a good story. She is clearly more of a storyteller than a writer.

Maybe I should try the movies instead!

I hate vampires so I have purposely NOT seen the movies or read the books. It must be a throw back to when I was a little kid and got scared seeing horror movies on cable TV at the neighbor’s house.

I know it is all the rage and I feel really “out of the loop” when people all over are talking about it…so if you like it Angie, I just might have to give in to my fears!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Susan D

Well, I’ll be the first to admit I’m a Twi-hard. I concede that the books are not well written, but that didn’t distract from the story for me. They were a mindless escape, exactly what I needed at the time I was reading them. And while I enjoyed both films, it’s hard to limit such a story to a two hour movie.

As far as Twilight fashions is concerned, I’m too old for such a look. I don’t really care for the slogan shirts and accessories, but I think the look itself is young and hip. If I was 20 years younger, I’d be all over it.

I like vampires, I always have, but I do not like Twilight for several of the reasons stated above.

The books, first off, are horribly written. There’s not even a good climax or build up. She writes like a bad high school student, which I don’t think should be setting the example for teenage girls. This is smallest problem of the book for me.

It is completely religious propaganda towards abstinence. The books are all “omg we can’t do this omg we can’t do this”, and then…. they get married and they finally do it. So she gets pregnant with this weird demon baby vampire thing who is basically breaking her ribs and harming her. So she’s basically dying, and then Edward has to chew through the placenta or something to get the baby. Either way, it’s gorey and really gross. Then something happens and Bella has to be turned into a vampire. Oh, and the reason she liked Jacob? There was an “imprint” on the baby and the baby and Jacob are meant to be together.

The relationship in the book is clearly unhealthy. Edward is obsessive, and basically…. creepy. Bella loses all personality, all she thinks about is Edward. Edward is a jerk to her throughout the book, and abusive. This is more clearly summarized here: http://pamgutz.livejournal.com/6499.html , but basically… he’s crazy. This type of relationship is not healthy, and should not set the example for anyone.

The whole books read to me like a crazy sexual fantasy for Stephenie Meyer. The actor who plays Edward even stated so in an interview, that that’s what it was like when looking at the books.

Quite frankly, there’s far better vampire fiction that would set a better tone in both writing quality and relationships.

The movies aren’t that bad, since these things are more watered down or glossed over, though it’s still there. I thought the first movie was awful due to the cinematography and weak plot. I haven’t seen New Moon, but I don’t plan on it.

Here in Portugal every teenager has already read the books, but not the clothes, I think because they don’t see it on stores and we don’t shop much on the internet.

I don’t like the books and I wont see the movie for sure.

Those clothes are what young girls wear, true, but they have nothing to do with Twilight.

Twilight is a book about abuse, plain and simple, Stephanie Meyers just never admits it. Edward is controlling and manipulative, doing things that are defined as abusive (taking her to an unfamiliar place and leaving her there after he breaks up with her). Jacob is almost physically abusive, saying that if he ever “loses control” he will “hurt her”. It is a book about two authoritative men attaching themselves to a bland, boring girl who had no direction, no personality. It is a classic abuse story and yet, no one talks about it.

I cannot believe how many people have been sucked into this trend. I love this blog, but I don’t know if I can continue to read one more person talking about how magnetic these books and movies are and failing to see the abusive undertones. The effects of Twilight cannot be seen yet but it terrifies me what these books and movies are teaching young girls. And again, I fail to see how someone can read them or watch them without feeling strikingly terrified by what they are teaching young girl. That is, if he hurts you, it’s your fault. If he says he wants to kill you or harm you, it’s love, keep going back.

I didn’t read the books, but I saw the first movie and thought the story was creative and interesting.

As for fashion, I guess I’m not in touch with teens to know how this line looks different from everything else. Is it gray-er?

TOTAL TWI-HARD here! I saw New Moon last Friday on the first day of opening here, and again this Saturday. I have got all 4 books which i have read several times and Twilight DVD which is my fav for duvet days.
Rather sad I know but i bought a twilight t shirt to wear as a graphic T! Not too tacky as just got the word Twilight written across it. Ebay have some gorgeous twilight inspired jewellery. And today i have an alice cullen inspired outfit of waistcoat under cascade cardi.
Susand the films are not scary at all, more of a teen romance x

DD15 and I are Twi-Hards. I don’t think the books are poorly written. I do not enjoy vampire genre but that’s incidental to me when I read these books. What I appreciate is the “teaching moment” it provides me. The message is not religious propaganda. It’s simply: “If a boy really loves you, he wouldn’t pressure you to have sex” and “True love means wanting what’s best for the other person – even if it’s not best for you.” Otherwise, her novels transport me back to a time when I was a teen and experiencing my own first love.

Angie, do read the books. I liked the books a lot more than the movies.

P.s. my daughter crushes over Jacob while Edward is more to my taste…

Forgot to answer the fashion question… DD15 has a Team Jacob tee shirt. She had it long before the movie came out.

Also, if you are a Twi-Hard, read her book, Host. I enjoyed that one just as much. No vampires, but some pretty cool aliens.

Finally (can’t help myself!), I think her writing is 1000X’s better than the Harry Potter series. UGH. I could not get through those at all. I thought they were awful. To each his own?

I am definitely a Twilight fan! I saw the Twilight movie first and then read all the books. My husband went with me to see New Moon this weekend as well. The next one (Eclipse) comes out next June and I can’t wait to see it either.

I see a lot of Twilight themed clothes at the Hot Topic store at the mall. Being in my early 30s, I am definitely too old for any of those fashions and they are not really my style either. I have even seen Twilight themed candy at the store. It’s crazy. I love the series, but the only merchandise I own are the books.

I have no comment on the fashion, but I loved Adventureland – one of my absolute favourite movies from the past year. I’m also addicted to “True blood”, the vampire TV series

I’m in the “hate” camp. I hated the series before having to put myself through the pain of reading it because many aspects of the story itself horrify me. I won’t get into why because it is not relevant to the topic at hand, and once I get started on my rant there is little hope of ever stopping.

On to the clothes: Obviously I do not care for them. I didn’t like slogan tees as a teen and I don’t like them now, so nothing to do with Twilight. The last one in particular is SO full of the kind of teenage drama and angst that I have never been very tolerant of…even when I was a teenager myself.

I loved the books- you would too if you liked the movies! They are a fast read too.
I am drawing the line at the fashion- unless it’s a shirt with Jacob on it,
Marie @ Lemondrop ViNtAge

I read the series and I agree with Laura above who said that Stephanie Meyer is more of a storyteller than a writer. I wasn’t impressed with Bella and Edward as characters–I thought they were awfully one-dimensional, and Bella’s whiny martyrdom really got on my nerves, especially by the fourth book. The plot really captured my interest (although paranormal romance is not something that is new for me, I read a lot of it, and I like the young adult genre as well). I wondered how the situation with Bella and Edward would be resolved. I felt the last book was by far the worst, with pages and pages of stuff that really didn’t move the story forward, and I felt that Stephanie Meyer kind of threw her world-building out the window and seemed to make stuff up on the spot. As far as the novels being religious propaganda, I just don’t see that. I’m familiar with Stephenie Meyer’s religious background, and I can see the influence of it on her work in that what she writes is in accordance with her personal values and morals. I’m okay with that, since I think it is something most other writers do as well, religious or not. For those of you who have read the fourth book, do any of you wonder how they’re going to depict the infamous “pillow biting” scene when they get around to making the movie? Rawr! Scandalous!

But anyway, I digress. I’m not really into the vampire fashion, it’s a bit too teeny bopper for me.

I have a love/hate relationship with the whole Twilight phenomena. Last year, my son wanted to read the book. Having heard that it was questionable to some parents, I wanted to read it first. I hardly got through the thing without throwing it against the wall. It is horribly written, drags things out in a tortorous way, and plays upon teen angst like a philharmonic cellist. (But I didn’t find anythign offensive in it) Both of my kids then read the first book, and we saw the movie on video-which I thought was slightly better than the book.
When he heard that the second movie was coming out, ds begged me to buy the next book so he could read it. DD and I also read it. I thought the second one was slightly better than the first (mostly because Edward wasn’t in much of it and Jacob was). We also read the third book- which is still dragging things out. We went to a double feature of Twilight and New Moon at the drive in movie theater (I mean really- who could resist making that memory for the kids??), and I fell asleep during the second movie. Several times LOL
When I was a teen, the Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles were huge. I understand the fascination and draw of the genre- even the look in fashion (I wore my share of vintage lace, black and ruffles), but this particular story doesn’t do it for me. Jacob is the saving grace of the series in my book. I thought the casting of the movies was not particularly good. I like Alice and Emmett, and Jacob is ok, but Edward and Bella don’t have the chemistry that I expected after reading the books. I liked Robert Patterson in the Harry Potter movies, and wanted so much to like him in this. I just don’t care about his charatcter, though.

Can someone please write a giant all caps ‘ SPOILER’ and then kindly proceed to tell me the story line? I am not biting so far but as the entire rest of the United States, if not the world, is – then I wonder if I am missing out. I genuinely want a spoiler. What and who and all of that….doesn’t have to be long but what is the big deal? Shiny, your comment actually kind of made me get it…is it a big love triangle with a good guy vs. bad guy going for the same girl? Is it the thrill of being 17 again?

I’m not against reading it or seeing the movies though I want to read before I see if I do…

but please, someone give me a good spoiler and please be fair and write spoiler so others won’t get mad! thanks!!

Just put an ‘OT: Spoiler alert’ quest on the forum so maybe someone can write a spoiler on there and not on here, would not want to offend those who like suspense. Anyone up for giving me the shorthand version of the books? Thanks!

No, I’m not a fan. I’m not happy that young adult reading has taken a dark turn. I watched the author of the Twilight series on the CBS show: “Sunday Morning,”(yesterday) until I heard her say that the story started when she had a dream about a girl and a guy, and that the guy was so in love with her and at the same time wanted to kill her. I turned it off. I didn’t need to hear anymore after that.

So many teens have enough darkness in their lives already, do they need to take this darkness into their spirit. The suicide rate in teens is currently at an all-time high. I mean, when I last checked, vampires didn’t exist. Don’t they have enough dark, real issues they have to face on a daily basis.

However, in this wonderful country we have something called freedom of expression. I may not like some of what I see and hear, but I believe in that freedom. I just wish the creative powers that be in the publishing and entertainment industries would breathe more light into entertainment products for this impressionable market.

I will join Maya and Ele in the hate camp. I just wrote a very long blog entry about this (I wish it weren’t in Turkish, so you could all read it!), but suffice it to say that there are so many things wrong with these books that I cannot even count them! I agree however that while the books are not well-written, the story is quite captivating. Even though I was furious, I kept reading until the very end!

Just wanted to add that no love for Twilight merchandise from me either, although I have to say that the actor who plays Jacob is pretty cute!

These are totally my everyday casual wear.

-meream

Fascinating. Right now I’m where Angie was– no real interest in the books or movies. (I’m pretty snooty when it comes to literature plus I don’t really read much anymore.) But all the hype is making me curiouser and curiouser to watch the movie on dvd. Hmmm… maybe something to do with a newborn.

As far as the fashion goes, it seems rather uninspiring even for the younger crowd.

BTW, I too now remember the Ann Rice phenomenon although I never read her books. That’s a very astute comparison.

Here’s my 2 cents – I loved the books ( and yes, the 4th book is the worst!). They were badly written, but Meyer tells a great story, and sometimes, a great story is all you need! The first movie made more sense after i read the book, and i have to say that i’m addicted.

I think that this series is perfect for the older teen who is experiencing love for the first time. I know that it brought me back to all those butterflies and excitement of thinking what forever would look like with a boy i was crushing on.

As a 39-year-old, i can’t pull off the fashion, but if i was 17, i’d be all over it!

I didn’t read the Anne Rice novels but I did watch “Interview with the Vampire,” a really captivating movie which featured all the beaus of my generation: Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas… Brad Pitt’s Louis character was quite sensual and like other characters had quite a depth and multifaceted nature to it, which is lacking in all Stephanie Meyers heros and heroines.
I listened to Anne Rice on the radio the other day, she made remarks similar to this one, which I agree with:
“I am intrigued by the direction the vampire legend has taken. I think the teen vampire romance, Twilight, was a curious film in many respects, one obviously made for 12 year olds, and it presents a very tame picture of the vampire and one that does not entirely make sense. We are to believe that a group of immortals choose to live in a tiny town rather than a metropolis, and that they go to high school over and over again, which certainly sounds horrible. But obviously this appeals to very young kids and the vampire, Edward, is charming, and strong, and is a powerful metaphor for the outsider and also he represents what teenagers dream of: a boyfriend who is really deep and caring and powerful and protective. In a way, it is about a young girl’s desire for an older man.”

I just checked Twilight out of the library today. I’ve heard that the writing is pretty bad but the story is good, so we’ll see how I do with it. I’m mainly giving them a shot because of the mania around the Twilight series right now. I tried the Harry Potter books a while ago when there was a buzz about them and just couldn’t get into them. Haven’t tried the movies yet.

I’m not really into the Vampire genre in general. I loved the Buffy the Vampire Slayer tv series (and Buffy’s and Willow’s clothes), but I love pretty much everything Joss Whedon (Buffy creator) has done, regardless of whether it’s vampire-related. He’s another good story-teller.

I like the New Moon clothes. I like screen print tees, and this particular style of clothing, the skinnies, cardigans, flats, boots and converse. I did not know there was an actual line of Twilight clothing at Nordstrom.

Bella, I wish I could read your blog too (yikes, your username is full of irony)! Sometimes I feel the need to start a support group amidst all the hype. There’s a really good article in Bitch (that’s a magazine, please don’t censor me!) about it, and lots of insightful comments. I can see Ele’s point after reading that article. Anyway, I can message it privately to anyone that wants to read it.

My sixteen-yr-old daughter got excited about it, so I read the books. And while I agree it isn’t great writing, to me it is such a compelling story, it is hard to put down. I think one of the engaging things Stephanie Meyers does is write so that you feel you are almost reading a diary.

I enjoyed the movies, the first one more than the second. The scoring on the second one was dreadful, I thought. I won’t be able to sit through that one again. But I’ll see the next one with my DD.

And my take on this regarding teens: it is so hard to get teens to read anything nowadays that I am all for whatever will spark them to pick up a book and get lost in a story. They really aren’t so stupid that they believe a fictional story is an example of “how to behave”. My DD loves these books- and says lots of it is nutty. She would no more imitate Bella’s behavior than she would Pippi Longstocking’s.

I’ll simply say that I wish everyone had become enamored with a story that didn’t feature a man (who is meant to be lusted after) so emotionally abusive… and creepy! In the (personally, awful) film they don’t make it clear if she’s just dreaming or not, but in the novel he admits to sneaking into her bedroom to watch her sleep and I am still genuinely confused as to how that’s romantic in the slightest.

I’m definitely in the hater camp, which is sad because I LOVED the first book. Sorta loved the 2nd book. By the 3rd book it became so predictable and badly constructed, and I really wish I could get the hours back I wasted on the 4th book. Combined with the flat acting in the films, I’m completely over the Twilight frenzy.

That said, I love everything else to do with vampires. But I like them much edgier and more complex than Twilight can offer. Especially since most vampire stories have much stronger female characters than Bella. Or give me Buffy any day over Twilight.

I can’t get into the Nordstrom line since it’s aimed at teenagers. It’s cute on a young girl, but completely silly on a grown woman.

I kinda like the Vampire Werewolf thing…but this hasn’t grabbed me, I have neither read the story nor seen the movie.

But I loved* Interview with a Vampire* and the enire* Underworld* saga..Vampire versus Lichen struggle. I guess this hasn’t captured my interest because it is a teenage love story…every teen generation wants *their* love story, and I guess this is it .

This is kinda off-subject but has anybody read “Outlander” by Diana Gabaldon? This book did to me what I’m gathering “Twilight” has done for others. Initially I snubbed the book because of genre (time travel/fantasy isn’t my thing) but hubba-hubba when I finally joined the hype and read the book I COULD NOT put it down. I may have even feigned illness just so I could stay in bed and read it all day. It too is not well written but what a story! It made me fall madly in love with my husband all over again (until I found out he….nevermind).

On another note,

In the book “All You Need to Be Impossibly French” author Helena Frith-Powell offers the opinion that part of being stylish and “effortlessly” chic is to be well-read.

The clothes look like the usual teen outfits. Nothing special except that it has Twilight slogan over it. Unless you are 18 and below, I wouldn’t recommend slogan tee. Graphic tee will cater to a wider age range.

I have not seen the movie nor read the books. But i think i can understand why teenagers likes it. It’s mysterious and exciting, a great escape from the boredom of our everyday life. But if the writing is as bad as most of you said, then I cross my fingers and hope youngsters do not get influenced and start writing like that. We don’t want to breed a generation of awful writers.

I’m 17, I dislike Twilight, but at least I can look at the clothes objectively.

They’re really nothing special, and have no inherent style in comparison to other better-made versions of the same styles of clothing. You can find these clothes in any other teen retailer already, and probably for half the price, like Forever 21 or etc. I can only really see the accessories being good sellers, but even then, it’s probably not that great. The outfit on the left is cute though, but it’s something I can already make out of my own closet.

It’s only the most obsessed fans that must have EVERYTHING related to Twilight that would get this “memorabilia merchandise,” so this is more of a smart move to make for marketing, rather than a goal to inject style.

I’d rather go to Urban Outfitters (on sale only!) or some indie retailers on Etsy if I wanted this kinda “look” but really, this type of scheming isn’t gelling with me.

i am TOTALLY into the Vampire thing…thank the GODS i am a professional artist! i love being able to kick it up in a unique, fun and at times sCarY kinda way… !

http://i718.photobucket.com/al.....vamped.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/al....._GREAT.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/al.....y_good.jpg

I’m in the hate camp, but I admit, if I’d only read the first two books or seen the first movie, I might be a little puzzled as to why so many people were so vitriolic about the series. But really, the fourth book is completely indefensible (and the third is pretty awful too).

However, I do kind of like the above clothes, so that’s something at least. And Bella does have some dandy mittens in the first movie.

Anica—Your post gave me chills. I thought, due my past relationship with an abusive person, that perhaps I was reading something into the stories that wasn’t there. I thought perhaps I was processing my own issues, but I sort of feel validated now that I’ve read that someone else has the same opinion. I think the line from the books that gave me the biggest creeps was something along the lines of…”even though I know I was in danger of him killing me, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.” After I read the series, I said to my husband, “Everyone in the world would think I’m crazy, but I’d be willing to bet a thousand dollars that Stephenie Meyers is in an abusive relationship.”

Angie – I’m guessing that none of those undertones made it into the dreamy movies. I haven’t seen them yet, but I’m curious to see how the books were interpreted.

I have seen many grown women sporting the Twilight Fashions!

I tried to read the first book but it was just too frustrating. Ms. Meyers has earned a great deal of money but there are a number of excellent authors in the young adult category who aren’t getting published. That makes me sad.

On a more serious note, these books are about a young girl who seems to lose control over a boy. He takes over her thoughts. This is not romantic; this is the kind of horror I think we all hope we our daughters avoid. I also have a son, and even he knows that this book is about mistreatment of women by so-called “monsters” but that there are just as many human monsters who hurt women.

A great story requires good writing. Hopefully, these books will not stand the test of time. “Interview with the Vampire” by Anne Rice is a classic of it’s genre.

The clothes are meh and I’m way too old for them. I would not even buy them for a teenager; this obsession is one I hope dies fast.

At 32years old, I too was not interested in the phenomenon until very recently. I thought they were teen fiction with a body count basically! BUT, that all changed when my mate Marty who is extremely cynical about everything raved about the book in such a way that my interest was piqued. I never stopped reading until I had finished all four books (I was quite dissapointed with the last one unfortunately). I then watched the movie, and was quite taken with it as a whole, I thought the leads fitted the parts very well. My only wish was they had made it slightly darker like the book, and avoided the teenage cliche scripting. But hey, I still enjoyed it!

Clothes wise, I was slightly influenced by the soft wool fitted jumpers Bella wore, and thus the slimmer silhouette.

if you enjoyed the movies, please give the books a shot. are they masterpieces? no, but they are fun reads and are very addictive. to me the twilight movie was an absolute failure compared to the book. not nearly enough buildup to the love story or cullen character development. now it’s a little too late for that in the movies, but maybe they will surprise me. the movie twilight did however convert new fans so i guess it did the job. glad to hear you enjoy the movies.

Oh my god Angie, no!! I’ve been holding out, refusing to read the books or rent the first film. YIKES. I was thinking of checking out the red box, so the jig may be up. The look really only works for the younger set though. I sat next to a Twillight kid over the weekend while wearing what I thought was my cool iris colored t-shirt and wide black belt…. felt really out of it. I am not in to the series, think it is totally overrated and creepy. Hope it goes away soon…

I am a fan of the books/movies. Not a di-hard fan by any means, but a fan nevertheless. The cloths are cute, but not really my style. Teenagers are the appropriate market for those, I think.

I’m technically in the “ewww, glorifying abuse!” camp, but putting that aside, it’s basically like the whole Harry Potter clothing trend but more fashion-friendly, yeah? I mean, it’s not super-fashionable, but more so than the Potter merchandising from a few years ago.