Would You Say Twilight Is "Offensive"?
Kitschy? Yes. Predictable? Of course. But offensive? Bit of a stretch, we think.
Still, the Twilight Saga novels have found themselves on the list, the American Library Association's Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2009 list. Stephenie Meyer's vampire romance novels landed themselves at spot #5 due to it allegedly being “sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, and [having] offensive language.”
Well that's the biggest load of piddle shit we have ever heard!
How are sparkling vampires who DON'T kill people unsuited for an age group? How is two people lying in a meadow holding hands sexually explicit? And offensive language? The author is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! The most offensive word that has ever come out of her mouth was cumquat!
People are WAY too stoopid!
Kate Gosselin's Pity Party!
The Biebs Is True To His Word!
Wow Perez a little late don't you think?
I read about this yesterday on Yahoo! (:
Personally i find necrophilia, paedophilia and beasiality offensive, and it's being exposed to a certain age group who arent fully aware of these actual issues and are therefore being mindfucked into thinking its beautiful just because the two boring main characters are "in love"
No matter the content, at least someone is READING!
The most offensive part of it all is that Meyer has very poor literary skill but yet her books sold off the shelves.
moronic yes, offensive no
I would categorize Twilight as offensive, but not for those reasons.
Mostly, I think it's sexist and completely anti-feminist. Also, it supports pedophilia, necrophilia, stalking and emotional abuse.
THAT'S why I find it offensive, not for any of those reasons.
YES, it's offensively BAD!! Two year olds write better than the twilight author.
AGREE WITH YOU PEREZ
To good taste, integrity, dignity, film, acting? : BY ALL MEANS YES!!
The story itself is not offensive but the fact that people consider it literature is
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Quoted by my mother….The only way this novel is offensive is if you happen to be a vampire and feel your reputation has been ruined by very sparkly and somewhat whiny males who don't kill people.
the fact that stephanie meyers and twilight exists, offends me as a human being.
it's not offensive.
it's a sad piece of 'work'.
The books are so bad they're offensive. My intelligence is offended when I watch the movies.
Anyone who actually ends up reading the books should find it offensive. Not only do the men in the series dominate and lord in benevolent sexism over Bella, but it's presented as a positive thing. I mean, Edward literally stalks her and spends nights watching her as she sleeps, tells her who she can and cannot see, and even messes with her car to get his way. Abusive.
Then, there's the pedophilia involved when Jacob imprints on the newborn Renesmee with a burning love, etc… And the fact that it's a verbal abomination…
Fuck yeah it's offensive, but not for the reasons those ridiculous activist groups claim.
I would say Twilight is RETARDED not offensive. Altough probably is offensive for people who actually has a brain because the fact that the book is so popular just shows how stupid society is this days. It´s such a basic book, I mean "sparkling vampires"????? Give me a break!!
No book should be banned,ever. HOWEVER….Is twilight offensive?
Well let's see… Guy STALKS girl. Breaks into her bedroom and watches her sleep. CONTROLS her every move — including disabling her truck so she can't see people he disapproves of. Hmm. That's SUCH good reading material for teen girls! Especially the bit where another guy brutally attacks his girlfriend "because she was in the way when he got angry" YES twilight IS offensive. It teaches that misogyny and abuse is "just love."
OFCOURSE IT'S OFFENSIVE. IT'S ABOUT A PEDOPHILE LONELY DESPERATE STAY-AT-HOME MOM (STEPHENIE) WHO WAS USING HER VIBRATOR ONE DAY WHEN SHE THOUGHT OF A TEEN VAMPIRE CALLED EDWARD.
AHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHHA
definitely think it's offensive as vampire literature….somewhere Anne Rice and Bram Stoker are weeping
haha I completely agree! Compared to other vampire novels I have read, Twilight is a nursery book!
Re: Wearmelikealocket – I never looked at it that way…. you're my new hero!!!!!
well the honeymoon in breaking dawn could be a little explicit lol but that's my fav part when they finally have sex. What isn't considered offensive these days get over it
I AGREE WITH YOU PEREZ..FINALLY!
Stupid, brainless, emo..yes…offensive…well, its offensive to smart people. Which there arent many since everyone and their mother read these stupid books.
Twilight is a great novel. Some parents think a diaper is a health hazard so thinking a kid friendly book isn't user friendly is normal!!
maybe some folks decided to not read it, and because it's so popular, deemed it automatically offensive because of that fact alone.
TAME TAME TAME……THESE PEOPLE NEED TO WATCH LESS TV……NARF NARF
This is bunk..they don't even have sex until they are married and then it is not offensive…
It's typical that people would dig deep to find crap…if someone enjoys something than let them enjoy…Beastiality, paedophilia…give me a break…its make believe losers…get a life…and enjoy it…
They have sex in the last book. I think that is what they are talking about
POLL: WHAT WAS YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT?
LMAO! What?!
God you are an idiot Mario. Obviously you haven't read the books, which I wouldn't expect you to. That would take some sort of intelligence, why not just watch the pretty actors? It isn't just "holding hands in the meadow". The first time they fuck, she bruises her all over her body, and shreds the pillows and breaks the bed. Vampires literally destroy houses with their crazy wild sex….I wouldn't call it offensive, maybe a little much for the 11 and 12 year old girls reading it but that's their parent's responsibility.
Sexually explicit? No. You’ve got to be kidding me, these books are vanilla. However, Inexcusably misogynistic in spite of the fact that they are written by a woman? Yes. Promoting deeply psychologically abusive relationships? Yes. Depicting a scene in the 3rd book which only contains a kiss, but reads like a rape and everyone but Bella laughs off? Yup to that too. These books are disgusting, but not for the reasons that the "up tight patrol" is sighting.
Re: lleya333 – Exactly. How is it that so few people see that?
This can´t be serious! It´s too ridiculous even to consider… C´mon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would say you're offensive!
you idiot. shes a MORMON! yeah its not offensive, but how can YOU support her books / movies when A PORTION OF HER INCOME GOES TO ANTI GAY MOVEMENTS FUNDED BY THE MORMON CHURCH!?
and on top of that, the books are so full of Mormon indoctrination that women are weak, and cannot survive without a man and romance, and must do what her lover says.
i'm still confused how you can slam other anti-gay frontrunners, but you still support this crap and this writer who's money goes to the mormon church. shut ur fuckin hypocritical mouth sometimes.
Obviously you didnt read the last book because there is A LOT of sexual activity happening there…lol
it promotes abusive relationships as normal. It's just so damned sexist. That's what makes it so offensive to me.
Once again late as ever KiltLifter – took the words right out of mouth.
Re: KLeeluvSgLee –
A lot?? What are you twelve. It implies that they have sex, but there are no sex scenes in the actual book. Either way, the books are terrible! They're an offense to the WRITTEN LANGUAGE! It's offense that GARBAGE like that was published in the first place when brilliant authors get rejected everyday! It's offensive that so many females support a book with a WEAK, WHINY female who gets CONTROLLED by an ABUSIVE, SHINY ROCK who doesn't give a crap about her. It's sick and it's just Meyer's way of promoting her weird Mormon themes.
CAN'T LDS FIND SOMETHING BETTER TO DO FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD
i think people need to get a life. it bothers you all that kids are reading. fine if you dont like it dont read it. simple. it is a fictinal story and thats what it is fiction. get over it.its plenty obviouse by her bank account that millz of people love the story so if you petty few have a problem go fuck yourselves and leave the rest of us alone to enjoy
come on, its a teenage romance novel! When I was a 17 year old girl, the emotional termoil and obsession to be in love (like every other girl on the planet) was far more extreme then in this simple series. People look way too far into things, when I guarentee the author wrote it quick and without a lot of thought. Offensive? Not at all. The people who bash on twilight for being based on "abuse" and "sexual content" are the same people that call Harry Potter "evil." Go plant a tree, hippies.
Re: Wearmelikealocket – Spot-on, Locket! Everything you said was one hundred percent accurate. I am, however, surprised that you did not mention the most offensive thing, though. You know! EDWARD CHEWS THE BABY OUT!!! The sugar-coating of the issues listed is nothing short of CRIMINAL. It's giving young women permission to be TOTALLY FUCKED UP, because a book they're MOMMY rubs one out to is deemed fit to read. YUCKY!!
it's offensively boring and overrated.
the sexually explicit part MIGHT be referring to the fact that their love scenes are so intense that they break beds…just maybe though
twilight is most offensive to feminism… gawd i hate this saga.
All the books are totally sub-par to anyone with decent taste in the fantasy/sci-fi/adventure/horror/romance genres, but the last book in the series, Breaking Dawn, is horrendously stupid…it's a fucking waste of trees.
There is more explicit language in Harry Potter. And Violence. And Death. That's just silly.
Re: KiltLifter – w00t to that. She's just plain awful. And Bella is the worst female character I've ever read. Never mind content, just in quality it shouldn't be anywhere near schools!
Re: marineangel –
Your Mom's brilliant.
Though I do find it a bit offensive that Edwards EATS his baby out of Bella's gut, I find it more offensive that people would try to censor what kids read.
My IQ drops anytime I have to read anything about Twilight, and my eyes burn everytime I have to see a picture of the actors. So YES, it is totally offensive!
Whatever, the books are categorized as "Young Adult" books. If parents don't want their kids reading the material they can do something about it. I mean, kids can just go watch That 70's show on multiple channels and watch teenagers drink, fuck, and get high everyday of the week. Not that big of a deal. The Scarlet Letter, The Great Gatsby, and Catcher in the Rye (among others) are part of school curriculum. Twilight is pretty tame.
who cares? the books suck ass anyways.
The books are about vampires. Big deal. Not offensive. And the sex is so tame, there are Harlequin romance novels with more sex than this.
Speaking of being "way too stoopid"…it's KUMQUAT, NOT Cumquat!!! You douche!!! Hire some adequate people to work for you…you suck!!!
Re: Wearmelikealocket –
However, that said - having never seen the movie, (or read the books; I am, after all, 40 years old, LOL, and simply digging the way her Mum thinks - …WOW! Seriously? Bestiality and pedophiles? I don't disbelieve you, it's just that holy shit, if that IS in the movie, and they're glamorizing it somehow, (kinda like the "heroin chic" of the supermodel world) then well, I'd personally be VERY offended, as well.
Re: therealstinkweed –
ARE YOU KIDDING ME????
Good Lord, they're destroying brain cells with this crap.
well twilights not offensive, but breaking dawn surprised me with how sexually explicit it was, seeing as how its advertised to preteens
Well. She's having sex with a dead person.
Enough said.
And god, that 'book' is so convenient, I hate it.
Twilight says its okay to have an abusive boyfriend as long as he wuvs you.
It is porn for pre-teens.
Guess none of u actually read the books cuz if u did u would know"""spoiler alert""" Jacob falls in love with Bellas Little Baby when the damn child is born. And no its not like uncle love its i wanna marry you kinda love. read the books and then talk u moron
It's offensive to literature in a hundred different ways. It's offensive to anyone with sense. It's offensive because it's Mormon and abstinence propaganda. It's offensive because of the way 'relationships' are portrayed to young women. Someone breaking into your room and watching you sleep is not romantic, it's a crime. Someone who controls every aspect of your life, both physically and emotionally, is not romantic, it's possessive and insane behavior. Promoting the degradation of women is abhorrent. Writing about a Mary Sue (insert yourself into the character) that tries to kill herself because her BF left her is irresponsible. Stephanie Meyer should be ashamed of herself for writing this damaging trash.
i find it so pathetic how people read into shit way too much… o_O
Re: trlwalker – Actually, I love Harry Potter. You have obviously never taken an advanced English class because you learn to dissect the hidden messages in everything. Except in the case of Twilight, the messages aren't hidden. The author isn't smart enough for that.
It's offensive in that it's classified as "literature." I'm offended by how girls think having a boyfriend like Edward is favorable. I'm totally against censorship, but I don't consider this actual literature, so ban away!
That's kind of lame. I do find it insulting and as a woman I think it makes us girls seem like morons and Edward is a creepy old man in love with a young girl but other than that I don't think it should be banned. Let people read what they as lame as the book can be.
oh my god i hate twilight alllot and i read all the books but this should only be on one list and that is the shit of the millennium list….but anyways seriously offensive language where????the most horrible words in the book where stupid and i think thats it…..and what sexually explicit?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?for reals i swear the sex scenes on the book where totally harmless they dint even say sex…i think they sayd it like once in the book and those sex scenes were so rated g
Well, although I think the Twilight books are a load of crap that I'm surprised so many people enjoy.
Them saying all of that stuff is just coming out of jealousy. It's like when churches started to say how the Harry Potter books were unsuitable b/c they were jealous more kids were in to that than the bible.
the only thing offensive about these books is the TERRIBLE writing. and the typos. i have never seen books with so many obvious typos.
Re: mommytee – do not assume that all people who found anything offensive about these books are people who didn't read them. i read the first one. i was appalled by the horrible writing, bad grammar, and types that any decent editor would have never allowed to happen in a published book. that's what i found offensive about the book. and i read it.
You are sooo right! They are ridiculous! I think the book sends out a great message that you "wait" until you get married!
Hell yes. This series offends me by existing.
I remember being morbidly curious about it once and reading the last book. You know what it was about? Some sh!t about a vampire EATING into some chicks womb while giving birth to a zombie named after the lochness monster. That was scarier than this time I watched a horror about these kid's toys coming to life and eating off people's faces when I was 5.
OMG. Get over it allready/ Free speech and all that . . . plus the ban books is starting to look more and more like "Farenhiet 451." That, by the way, is the temperature books burn at.
im sorry but necrophilia? seriously its a vampire not a corpse, yes his heart dosnt beat but come one, vampire diaries? true blood? vampire are about finding the humanity in the bad. and beastiality? i can not believe that people are so dumb to need to find these things in this book.
and yes the main character is dominated by the males but thats the beauty of writing you can show so many different sides to the world. some women like that some dont. womens rights were won so that those women who wanted to live equaly would, i would love to be a stay at home mum and live off my husbands wage does that make me a bad person? no it means i have my own mind and know what i want.
if a christian writes a book it will have christian symbolisim in it, if muslims write a book it has muslim symbolisim, if a jew's write a book it has jewish symbolisim, duh.
and i do like the books but there nothing on the sookie stackhouse stories, and before anyone tries to talk about my spelling and grammer i already know its not great but thats for reasons that have put me behind in that side but i read everything and i find the story lines the interesting things not the grammer or the techniqualities decide whether you like it or not but dont push that on others by using these scary terms to turn them away.
Indeed!
True. These books are so tame I was actually wishing for more action, but nothing happened. Offensive? Offensively bad, maybe. I'm worried more about the bad influence it might have on the psyche of young girls. 'I can't live without a man'- it's worse than disney!
Its offensive to good taste.
Twilight is probably the worst book series ever! So badly written, totally doll.. And Edward has no personality what so ever.. And Bella.. COME ON!! There is ALWAYS something wrong. NOTHING is good enough.. It's just so cliché! She's the worst author in the history of authors!
Um. Perez. You need to read the books, maybe? And think like these people? I'm an ex-Twihard, and even I thought they were stupid while I was reading them.
Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse are perfectly fine - there's violence, but nothing to get worked up about.
Then… Breaking Dawn. I've read Clive Barker and Stephen King novels that were tamer than that disgusting birthing scene. For those of you not in the know, Edward bangs Bella twice while they're on a honeymoon, and Bella ends up pregnant. The baby grows to the size of a nine-month-old while it's about two or three months old, and by the time it's born, it's the size of a two-year-old. It starts biting its way out of the womb when Bella goes into labour, and Edward has to help chew it out as well. Let's not mention the thrashing around and kicking inside Bella that pretty much breaks all her bones. She's turned into a vampire during this, blacks out, and wakes up 2 days later, in no pain whatsoever.
Oh, and er. Jacob falls in love with this little tot (ugh… Renesmee), all because of this werewolf ritual of 'imprinting'. HE ACTUALLY SAYS IT'LL BE OKAY FOR THEM TO START DATING WHEN SHE IS 7 BECAUSE SHE'LL HAVE THE APPEARANCE AND MATURITY OF A 17 YEAR OLD BEING HALF VAMP HALF HUMAN. WHAT?!
If they'd said it was challenged for being misogynistic, sexist and making controlling behaviour and stalking look like a sweet virtue, then I would've agreed with them. But sexually explicit with offensive language? They must've been reading a different book to the rest of us.
You group of imbeciles… can't believe what I read: pedophilia, necrophilia, stalking and emotional abuse HAHAHA I can't laugh hard enough…
Please read books like True Blood or The Vampire Diaries or even The Lovely Bones or even 'romantic' like The Time Traveller's Wife and you'll find more reference to se*ual non-appropriate scenes there (then made into films/series that teenagers watch) for God's sake these characters scarcely touch in the first 3 books and when they do they're already married and he can't help his strenght, it's not violence for the sake of violence, so not promoting abuse! Haven't read a cheesier book in my love, where men adore a woman more than Bella is adored in these FICTION novels, it's all about her, and revolves around her and how special she is, and about protecting her… not to mention the many female characters with powers and presence in the novel, and the fact the writer is a woman (there goes your anti-feminism!!), and oh yes he's dead wow, sorry I'm sure that will give ideas to kids to have se* with dead people come on! it's a fantasy!! Was 'Casper' about necrophilia too? And Jacob/imprinting… it's a spiritual thing, it's symbolic, he treats her as the child she is you stupid dumbos!
You group of imbeciles… can't believe what I read: pedophilia, necrophilia, stalking and emotional abuse HAHAHA I can't laugh hard enough… Please read books like True Blood or The Vampire Diaries or even The Lovely Bones or even 'romantic' like The Time Traveller's Wife and you'll find more reference to se*ual non-appropriate scenes there (then made into films/series that teenagers watch) for God's sake these characters scarcely touch in the first 3 books and when they do they're already married and he can't help his strenght, it's not violence for the sake of violence, so not promoting abuse! Haven't read a cheesier book in my love, where men adore a woman more than Bella is adored in these FICTION novels, it's all about her, and revolves around her and how special she is, and about protecting her… not to mention the many female characters with powers and presence in the novel, and the fact the writer is a woman (there goes your anti-feminism!!), and oh yes he's dead wow, sorry I'm sure that will give ideas to kids to have se* with dead people come on! it's a fantasy!! Was 'Casper' about necrophilia too? And Jacob/imprinting… it's a spiritual thing, it's symbolic, he treats her as the child she is you stupid dumbos!
this is a bit late but it is here i cant think of anything in the books that is offencive can you imagine a library with no sex no racial predjudise no violence what is left to read we can learn how not to be from negative literature i am a christian and i say bull
One thing is, that I do find teaching children of a young age that it's completely acceptable to have an abusive boyfriend offense. He's a stalker, which is actually serious business, not romantic. Oh, and he's also deceased. He's over hundred years old and if I remember correctly, they met when she was seventeen. Jacob is even worse. He's named after Stephenie's (who is, in fact, a less attractive Bella) brother, but 'imprints' on a newborn. The baby of his former love and rival. He's the nice uncle, until she's about seven. Then the'll automatically be in love, I assume. Much like the mormon religion (I could be wrong), she doesn't have a choice. It's decided beforehand who she's going to spend her life with. He's also much, much older. I just find it sickening, really. And i'm not just loathsome to every bestseller, trust me. But it's always nice that the only point of Bella's life before her dear Edward, was making dinner and cleaning for Charlie. Not sexist at all, like giving up her - not worth living - life for a man she just met. Bad, even illogical writing and the missing plot is another story.
Perez, are you even authorized to call people 'stoopid'? And explicit language isn't the only thing not suitable for children.
you know, if people are criticizing the movies, well so be it. but the books are amazing. and if people are criticizing the books well, they are reading!! it is NOT often people read so much they get angry about it. its a good thing. read more books so you can have opinions about them, too!! happy reading all!
ok i feel the need to address some things first edward is a vampire different he expresses his lonliness he doesnt stalk he barely tries to be with bella she kinda stalks him he is gentle and tries all he can to keep bella human i read all the books and it is no more offensive than harry potter they represent all races showiiing a good lesson in be aceppting and dont forget the no sex before marriage thing well im off
omfg…. thats why i could never live in America… too much fuckin stupid, ignorant and closeminded shit there
Have you read the final book??? I don't think they are referring to the 'hand holding' in the first few books…. (trying not to ruin the end!)
Have you read the last book Perez???? I thought it was not appropriate at all for young kids… the whole rosemary's baby birth was disturbing to me and I am an adult… also the sex is plenitful in the book and there like everyone else said it makes young girls think that the most important thing in life is a boy and not only that but a posseive boy(vampire) whose pretty much stalks her, watches her sleep. ect.
I agree that the books are unsuited to the age group, my local bookstore has them down as 10-12. There is no sexual content in the books, it is implied but not actually in the books.
sexually explicit? there are no actual sex scenes in breaking dawn, s meyer actually writes it so that the reader knows the less about sex the better, which is stupid because these books are aimed at teenage girls?
The thing that offended me in breaking dawn was that HORRIFIC birth scene. The whole time your reading your like WTF!? Its so fricken graphic and disgusting. And the fact that Jacob basically becomes a peedo. It's so Lol'able! Yet its 'okay' because hes a dog and its all 'magical imprinting', not paedophilia? They may be classed as offensive things, but i still think that the audience that s meyer is writing for, 13+, is okay for the amount of sex in the books. ie, practically none.
the fact that this book is still in print is what offends me…worst series ever written….
"Personally i find necrophilia, paedophilia and beasiality offensive, and it's being exposed to a certain age group who arent fully aware of these actual issues and are therefore being mindfucked into thinking its beautiful just because the two boring main characters are "in love" "
Ditto Wearmelikealocket. I don't think the subjects of abortion and babies being torn from wombs and umbilical cords being bitten through belong in novels marketed to tweens either.
Re: Aster8 – Just because the author is a female does not mean she is a feminist. How many women do you know who are actually educated in the area of feminist theory? It's safe to say not all women are, which (in my opinion) is a shame. It is also my opinion that Stephenie Meyer probably falls under that category. Had Stephenie Meyer been a feminist, she would agree that Edward is an oppressive male figure, just as Bella is a completely dependent, helpless (and indeed archetypal) female character. Again, just because the author is a female does NOT mean she is a feminist. Please make that distinction, and you may just be able to see exactly why some people (if I may…REAL feminists), find Twilight offensive.