The infamous Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer have affected more than just girls between the ages of 10 - 18. In fact, you are the odd man out if you don't know who Edward Cullen is. Pop culture has blown up Twilight. MTV, VH1, and ABC promote the false fantasy of everlasting teen love even more with clips and references of Twilight at commercial breaks.
Not only are commercials being shown but actual television shows are being created off this billion dollar empire. Shows such as: True Blood, Vampire Diaries, and remake of Teen Wolf all popped up after the craze began. Outside of television, stores across America are selling clothes, ipod covers, pillow cases and cardboard cutouts to every Edward/Jacob fan out there.
There have been arguments made that because of this series, that teens have become even more obsessed with relationships and sexual activity. Some say that this influences younger generations to become sexually active earlier than the generation before. I personally don't believe that. I read all of the books and have seen the movies. I'm not Twilight crazy but I don't hate the series. I just believe that the entire craze is overrated and blown out of proportion. The series isn't about a protagonist conquering evil, it's about a teen girl falling hopelessly in love with an undead 109 year old man that is frozen in a 19 year olds body forever. Our media should be promoting more books about overcoming obstacles in life - not fantasy love.
The series Twilight has been a huge craze for many girls across the United States. Many girls love the series and can’t get enough of it. I think that this is great for readers throughout America for multiple reasons. First, the series has made many people excited about reading. It's not too often that teenage girls want to read books that are very long and have a lot of detail. It is bringing the joy of reading back into lives as many of them were previously throughout their years in school. Second, it has a lot of detail, which makes the reader pay extra attention to the book. The readers of the Twilight series learn a lot while reading and don’t even realize they are getting smarter and gaining knowledge even if the content isn’t exactly that of a classic read. Through the series Twilight I think that the readers may want to pick up on other series. This series could have encouraged them to start reading more, which would be a great thing.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the twilight craze has influenced a large majority of the media in recent years. People of all ages were drawn into the series and its popularity hit society like a wave. It became a book that was seen in schools everywhere across the country. Popularity for the book rose so fast that it was not long before the movies started to come out. This development changed the series because reading was no longer necessary. Anyone who was interested could just go see the movie and not have to read the book at all. But having this turnover affects the story; imagination is not needed because the picture gives it all away. I will be honest and say I have never read the books because I could experience the entire story in a compressed time. This is an increasingly common scenario as television and movies become a more prominent part of our society. It makes me wonder how children’s development and growth mentally are being affected.
ReplyDeleteI can understand what you’re saying about the craze being a little out of control, however, I experienced something positive from these books. I always hated reading, whether it was for pleasure or required for school. My friend introduced me to the Twilight books after the first movie had already been released and I was hooked. I read all four books in about a month. I couldn’t put them down. I, myself did not have any thoughts that I needed to be in a relationship after reading this series. When it comes to promoting or increasing sexual activity among teens I do not think this movie has much of an impact. I am wondering how they’re going to show Bella and Edwards sexual relationship and the birth of their baby in the next movie seeing how they are rated PG13. These types of movies will continue to be top sellers throughout time because fantasy love is apparently what people want to see. We don’t see as many movies about “overcoming obstacles in life” because they don’t sell as well. We have to remember that the movie industry is a business; a business that revolves around money.
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