It’s not a spoiler to say the new “Twilight” film strikes a blow for virtue.
The couple at the heart of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” opening June 30, continues to struggle with ways to express their love.
It’s a recurring theme in the wildly popular film series, and it’s one many parents likely embrace.
I won’t say whether Bella and Edward “do it” or not in the new movie, and there are still two more “Twilight” features yet to come.
It’s still fascinating to see a pop culture phenomena treat sex seriously.
But will it have an impact on the tweens lining up to see the series?
Pop culture routinely traffics in material unsuitable to the wee ones – just think Lady Gaga at Yankee Stadium.
But media companies often defend their product by claiming, “it’s just a movie/record/TV show,” and it’s not meant to condone bad behavior.
Can it work the other way? Can a teen girl who lives and breathes “Twilight” embrace the movie’s old-fashioned values? Or is it merely entertainment?
(Photo: Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart share a moment amid the flowers in “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.” Summit Entertainment/Photo credit: Kimberley French)
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
The whole vampire thing is just a metaphor for sex anyway. Can’t show sex to the kiddies unless you make it into something else.
I’m not savvy enough to say whether abstinence is the answer for teens, but when I see kids playing with Bratz dolls and worshipping Miley Cyrus in all her pole-dancing glory, it makes me wonder if they’ve even got a chance at growing up with the right values. Nice to see that there’s some counter-programming for them in movies like Twilight and 17 Again.
Well said. I’m still amazed how good “17 Again” was … and I shudder when a pop star princess feels the need to go sexual to prove she’s an adult.
There is something in novels to having people romantically involved but not having sex that isn’t necessarily promoting virtue. It’s the easiest (and perhaps best) way of keeping the sexual tension as high as possible. *Not* having sex is very sexy because there is never any relief.
Can a teen girl embrace Twilight’s “old-fashioned values?” (BTW – please to define “old-fashioned values,” because I’m here to tell you, teenagers have been boning since the beginning of time.)
Anyway, I haven’t been a teenage girl in whole lotta years, but I can tell you this: Having a hot vampire boyfriend who can’t bone you without killing you is pretty good motivation to abstain, and since most (uhh…ALL) teenage girls don’t have that, then no. Twilight is going to have little to no effect on their decision about when to do the dirty.
Erin, thanks for keeping it (sorta) clean!
You know how I roll, Christian.
All the girls I know who like Twilight are not what I would call “old-fashioned”. That may be because I live in a college town, though. But the way that they drool over Edward makes me think that they react to the movie by becoming more physically aroused. I’ve heard that romantic music makes women more willing to have sex. I wonder if Twilight doesn’t have the same effect.
I think its good if the couple abstain for once. Self control is something that he (Edward) has to observe around her. Maybe its time that the boys embrace being a gentlemen and show respect and restraint. Girls should expect it. I think more and more kids are seeing the non-glamorized side of sex, being pregnant early or considered loose. Parents don’t let Twilight teach your kids about sex. Nothing will replace you.
I like to think of these movies as a kind of Harlequin romance for the big screen. They are targeted to young girls wanting romance. But they aren’t realistic. Do some of the girls watching them carry it forward into their own lives? Probably. But then, I am not disturbed by Miley Cyrus. I was watching Cherie Currie in lingerie, at the age of 16, way back in 1979. I didn’t know a single regular girl who did that.
17 Again was a pretty good dang flick.
What they said.
D.