One of the most criticized elements in Twilight is the relationship between Bella and Edward, which is very toxic – and here’s why.
The Twilight books and movies have been heavily criticized for years and for many reasons, but the main one is all about Bella and Edward’s relationship, which is quite toxic – here’s why. Back in 2005, Stephenie Meyer shared her unique vision of vampires and werewolves in the novel Twilight, the first entry in a series of four novels. The core of the story is the relationship between vampire Edward Cullen and mortal Bella Swan, who overcame different obstacles so they could enjoy a lifetime together, as Bella ended up becoming a vampire.
The Twilight book series was a big success, and while critics weren’t on board with it, it was so popular with viewers that it made the jump to the big screen shortly after the publishing of the final novel, Breaking Dawn. The Twilight Saga was released between 2008 and 2012, with the fourth novel being split into two movies, and expanding its already huge fanbase. However, with the big-screen adaptation of the books also came a new wave of criticism, as many controversial elements from the source material were kept, while others popped up in the transition from book pages to the big screen.
One of the most criticized elements from the Twilight books and movies was the relationship between Edward and Bella, which raised a lot of red flags due to it being quite toxic. Stephenie Meyer received a lot of backlash because of this, as many accuse her of romanticizing psychology and emotional abuse, even if she claimed that Bella was a feminist. The problems with Edward and Bella’s relationship begin with how Meyer depicts Bella, which is as a damsel in distress who always needs to be rescued – if not by Edward, it could also be her best friend Jacob Black, who is in love with her. Perhaps in an effort to “justify” this, Bella was written as an incredibly clumsy and accident-prone character (and these same characteristics, among mostly others rooted in low self-esteem, making her that “interesting” and desirable character everyone wanted to be with) which in reality only makes it worse as it establishes that she will always need someone to help her and save her.
Edward Cullen, then, is the answer to all that, but their relationship is far from a healthy one. It’s mostly based on control and fear, with him stalking her under the excuse of “protecting” and “caring about her”, and his power over Bella was such that even when he left, she was still controlled by him somehow. At the beginning of Twilight, Bella was making friends as she had just moved to Forks, but once she started dating Edward, she distanced herself from her friends and family, then began to reconnect with them when he left and distanced herself again when he returned . Once she became a vampire, that distance became even bigger, as she now couldn’t be close to her father, Charlie, who had no idea what had happened to her. Various specialists, such as Rachel Wright (via InStyle), have pointed out that Twilight promotes the “idea that women are better when they are dull and submissive” and that “abuse of power does not equal love, it equals abuse”.
Stephenie Meyer (and many Twilight fans) have defended these critics, and in one of her most recent appearances (at The Remember Podcasts), she shared that Edward and Bella’s relationship is not one that’s usually reflected in an average couple, emphasizing that Edward is a supernatural being and the novels were written as fantasy books, not a realistic depiction of an everyday romance. Still, that doesn’t justify the signs of abuse in their relationship, which many specialists continue to analyze in order to bring awareness and show young readers that this is not a relationship to idolize but rather one to learn from. Surely, while it was Bella’s decision to stay by Edward’s side, which is a point often used in her defense as a “feminist character”, Edward had a lot of control over Bella, and that (and other details) shouldn’t be overseen when taking a deep look at Twilight.
