Friday, November 13, 2009

Why Do You Love Twilight?

Yes, yes--I am unconditionally and irrevocably in love with you... But why?

In the run-up to the release of New Moon next week, our often-overlooked corner of the Twidom seems to be getting more than the usual amount of attention... In the last week, we've been contacted by a couple of reputable news outlets (CNN! The Washington Post!) who wanted our take - in some form - on the phenomenon of the non-tweeny Twilight fandom. We also did an interview we are proud of a couple of weeks back with an Australian publication, and when it is published, we will definitely let you know. In fact, we probably have more to say regarding the questions she asked! Regardless, something keeps coming up when we are interviewed about our Twilight obsession, and I think I need your collective help to work through it. It's troubling mostly because it is such a central issue to our very presence here in the Twidom, yet I am at a loss every time it comes up... I'm just going to come out with it:

Let me ask the most basic question: what do we eat why do you love Twilight?

Really. Think about it... Why do you love Twilight??? At some point, it became clear to me that I don't have a readily-available, articulate response to that seemingly simple question, despite the fact that I have pretty much turned my life upside-down for Twilight over the course of the last eleven months, and don't see said life being up-ended any time in the near future. Apparently, "just because" isn't sufficient, nor is "I don't know why I love it but I do so just read the fucking books and you'll love it, too."

I could go on for a while about how I've been trying - unsuccessfully - to come up with an answer that fully encompasses why I love the entire saga, but I won't... I already know that I don't have a great response and that a little more contemplating is in order. Just when I thought I couldn't possibly spend any more time on Twilight than I already do... Well, there you go...

So what do you think??? Do you have your Twilight house in sufficient order to know exactly what it is that makes you live and breath it 24/7? JJ and I need to hear from you! Clearly, we've both come to terms with our Twilight obsession, but I can't say for sure that we truly understand it - or can relate what we feel to other people - even now. Who knew?!

P.S. The reporter we spoke to at The Washington Post - Monica Hesse (a Twilight fan herself - yay!) - is writing a piece specifically on how people have been blindsided by their Twilight obsession... She would love to hear from some of our [ahem] mature readers who, despite initial reserve or outright resistance, found themselves falling helplessly down the Twilight rabbit hole (we know you are out there - you tell us...things). If you were later arrivals on the Twilight scene, all the better for her article. If you have a story to tell and are ok with the possibility of your full name appearing in print, drop her a line - asap! - at HesseM@washpost.com. Tell her Twitarded sent you!

P.P.S. We are extremely grateful and thankful for all of the donations we have received for the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation fundraiser/Dinner With Peter Facinelli auction! Um, but we're going to need the donations to keep coming if we want to win it! Do you have any idea how much dinner for four costs in NYC without a celebrity guest to sweeten the pot?! I am in the process of hitting up everyone I know for a few bucks - we can make this happen!!! If you haven't donated yet and want to, click on the link below! PFach will thank you someday... really! We'll be gentle...





100 comments:

  1. I can answer it easily and quickly. I love it for the incredible, deep emotions it evoked in me during a deep hard time in my life. Twilight carried me through 2 miscarriages and 2 years of (still active) infertility. It gave me and my husband (Team Jacob) something to bond over again, outside of bills and babies that we can't have. I love it because it gave me love again.

    I love Twilight because it gave me friends I never have, gave me my life back and let me feel happy and be ok with being happy

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  2. I have no answer for you. And believe me I have given this question ALOT of thought. I have had to because it is often asked of me by my husband and BFF. Neither of them understand it and it causing serious problems with both of them. They do not understand why I am spending all of my free time on Twilight stuff instead of with them. And to be perfectly honest I have no answer for them. I dont know why I love it so much, I just do. It is a true addiction for me. One that I do not want to break. I have never had an obesession like this and I have no idea where it came from.

    so sorry I have no answer for you. i am in the same boat.

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    Replies
    1. Hi,
      I must confess I feel exactly the same. I am addicted to the whole Twilight world, and I can't understand why it has such a hold on me. I am an educated, rational mature woman and nothing like this has ever happened to me before.
      Priscilla

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  3. Honestly...I was reluctant to even read the books because i thought it was a "fill the hole that Harry Potter left behind" kind of obsession, until I saw Edward leap out of his bedroom window in a trailer online. I thought...holy crap...that's cool...

    So I bought the book, and I will admit, i was picturing RPATZ the WHOLE TIME...which is what made me keep reading. Honest. Stephenie, I think, has a lot to thank him for. From then I was hooked. SO...I might say I was a "Rob lover" before I was a Twilight" lover.

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  4. I was definately a late-comer to Twilight. All the books were out, the movie trailer was being relentlessly played on t.v., and everytime I saw Robward, I stopped breathing for a moment. I am a book lover, so I was aware of the series because I keep up on what books are on the bestseller list. I was being stubborn about reading a tween book, even though I've had a deep fascination for vampires that goes way back. I finally gave in when I decided I just HAD to see who the heck Edward/Robert was, but I also hate seeing movies before reading the books. 99% of the time, the book is so much better. So I abandoned my family for two days and read Twilight, then went to the $6.00 matinee. Loved them both!! Long story-short, it was the way Twilight made me FEEL. Even though I'm, erm, 47 (WTF?!), it made me feel 16 again. I really felt those "first love" palpitations you feel in high school. It had been a 31-year drought, and now I was all giggly again. It doesn't look like it's going to end any time soon either...

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  5. For me it's not so much the romance, though I do enjoy that. I think the story is fun and has interesting twists. It's not great writing, certainly not great literature. The characters are interesting but at times I find them pretty trivial and boring. For me it's more the fantacizing about being beyond human. I'm not at all intrigued with the blood drinking aspect of vampires but more the super abilities, the super sight and hearing, the strength, durability, super health and the speed. I like the way the Cullens work at controlling their cravings and rise above and show compassion and protection for humanity. I enjoy Bella's desire to become like Edward, not so much for the forever together aspect but more for the wanting to be less fragile, more durable.
    Maybe I think humans are evolving and so much more is possible for us and I can live that out vicariously through Bella.
    I also think there is a collective energy around this whole phenomenon that once one taps into it one is affected and adds to it. Wouldn't it be nice if love and peace were this contagious?
    Just some thoughts.

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  6. i was totally not going to read twilight and actually kinda sorta made fun of an acquaintance when i found the book in her car... then i graduated college and was bored and my 2 best friends decided we were gonna see what this shiz was all about. yeah the books were finished in less than a week and by the end of week two i had seen twilight in theaters three times.

    the only answer i can come up with for this sudden onset obsession that only seems to be getting worse is how it made me feel. the story, while involving mythical creatures, is essentially something that everyone has felt at some point. its just so easy to relate to bellas emotions. i dont agree with the way everything plays out in the story, but i remember what it was like to fall in love for the first time, and i remember how hard it was when it was over. i like the way i feel when i read about their relationship blooming and reminiscing about my own first love. i know people give stephanie meyer crap for her writing, and its definitely not shakespeare, but she is very good at relaying the emotions of her characters to the audience. you understand and can feel exactly what bella is narrating. i just love that. add to that all the interesting stories surrounding the other characters and how they all relate back to bella and edward, its just pure escapism. its easily accessible. easily relatable. and easily addictive.

    i read a lot. A LOT. a couple of books a week usually (although the amount of fanfic read lately makes it harder to quantify)and i have never read anything that i was able to be so immersed in and that i just wanted more of. even when i was fucking pissed at what the characters were doing and threw my book across the room, i would run over after i few deep breaths and continue reading. add to it that these hot actors get all up in my head in my fantasy twilight world... well i just never wanna turn it off.

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  7. OK, so here's the deal. I avoided Twilight like the plague. I hate bandwagons, when everyone is rushing into something, I refrain. (My friends can't believe I still have never watched Titanic, and other things like that). So, last summer 2 of my best friends (one who lives very far away) started on me about reading the books. So I bought Twilight and shelved it. Weeks later, after lots of peer pressure, I was sick on the couch one weekend and cracked the bad boy open. I was instantly hooked. I could relate to many aspects of Bella, from living with her dad w/o a mom around, to falling in a serious love in high school with the 'outsider' guy. (which I'm still married to 13 years later). I fell in love with the story and finished the entire series in 4 days. And me - a person who "doesn't read" has read each book 5 times and my favorite parts many times more. I've since realized that I DO like to read! Go figure ;) Right now - I'm using my FanFic reading time..gotta go

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  8. I asked my Team Werewolf husband why he got into this with me-- he says it's no different than guys being obsessed with sports, buying sports apparrel, painting rooms in team colors, spending tons of money going to sporting events, memorizing player stats and rules. They play fantasy football (not that different from fan fic huh?). They belong to something bigger than themselves, yet NOBODY says anything about huge sports fanatics.

    It's a natural instinct for people to want to be a part of something bigger than they are, part of something that makes you scream, whether it's screaming in excitement over your team scoring, or your character on the screen (or red carpet)

    He says Stephenie's books are fantasy, but they take place in a "real world", in our time, with human experience, in a believable stretch of the imagination. He's just as big a fan of Twilight as I am

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  9. I was a late arrival on the band wagon for twilight. I thought oh vampires it cant be all that great, finally one night my sister got me to sit down and actually watch the movie, and let me tell you i was instantly hooked. I immediately hijacked my sisters books and couldnt put them down. I love the idea of twilight because it shows that true love could happen for the girl next door, that it doesnt have to be a princess, or a girl from a wealthy family. Granted its vampires and werewolves it shows how girls usually go for the guy that is the bad boy, and that would make for a hard and strained relationship rather than chosing the boy that is her best friend and would truely love her for all she is and doesnt want her to change. I mean come on all of us girls went or will go for that bad boy at some point in our life.

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  10. Here's my take on my own personal journey. I am 37 years old. I'm a mom and a wife. I have always been an independent thinker, a bit left of center I guess, but I felt over the last few years that I lost some of my individuality. I can't relate to a lot of women my age who are also mothers and go to PTA meetings and contribute to the church bake sales. That's just not me.

    I think, along with that, I felt like I was losing my youth. I was stuck in a rut. Taking care of the family and going to work every day. Trapped in the suburbs and out of touch with what once made me unique.

    After reading the books (and seeing the movie) I felt like I regained some of my youth. I got that stupid unexplainable feeling you get when you have your first crush. I felt like I was transported back to the age of 16. I don't know if I related to Bella or the moody nature of the story. All I know is once I latched on to the story (which wasn't until about a week before Twilight was released at the movies) I felt reinvigorated. The books and movie are my escape. And when I found Twitarded, I felt like I found a community of like minds.

    I love all of you guys. You keep me laughing and (what I consider) sane!

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  11. It connects with the basics of love and loss.
    It has a happily ever after.
    It reminds us of the deep seeded emotions when we first felt them for the first time and brings us back to the living after focusing on work, family, staus, and perfection for most of our twenties.
    Overall, it makes us laugh, love, cry and breathe with a a shudder like we did when all we had was emotions.

    @mmMoxie I totaly am with you minus the mom aspect (but I do have 6 dogs).
    I refound a piece of my youth that I didn't even know I lost and it's the best treasure to know that it's still there.

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  12. For me, it's a matter of it not necessarily being the standard form, for romance or for YA novels. When you strip it down to the core and remove all the tasty paranormal aspects; it's a relatable story for a lot of people.

    It doesn't treat the darker sides of romance and relationships with kid gloves. It explores those aspects of that aren't necessarily desirable... but that a lot of people experience at one point or another. You have characters that are losing pieces of themselves to another and trying to figure out how to put it all together and make sense of it while still making it work.

    It's not light and fluffy. It doesn't assume that a HEA means everything turns out all right in the end for everyone (if it did... Edward probably wouldn't have had to make Bella a vampire). In that sense, it's a lot more real than a lot of the romance currently offered and that's what I initially loved about it.

    It took an old storyline and let me see the sides that most other authors brush over if they address them at all. Is it the best thing ever written? Probably not. But, it's certainly one of the most honest pieces of romance written in a long while!

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  14. I still remember the EXACT moment I fell in love with the book. When Bella first sees them. I knew I was hooked. I love it because every time I read it (not just the first time but EVERY time) it takes me back way, way back. I have been married for more than 11 years and I miss that feeling of "new love" and the flirting and the doubting and all the teen angst. It brought all that back. I think my husband wants to kill Edward (good luck there, jackass)because I am always curled up with him (only in book form *sigh*) and he is jealous!! It gives me something to be excited about. Let's face it...our love lives will never be that breathtaking!

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  15. I love twilight for a few reasons...I love this blog! Totally love you guys! It makes me feel like I belong. None of my family members or friends are in love with Twilight like the awesome people in Twitarded land! I have also found love with my husband again as well. After many years (like umm...24yrs) of marriage, it had become boring. Reading Twilight, watching hundreds of videos of RPattz, and of course fanfic, I have found I can still make fantastic love with my husband and feel like 20 something while doing it. To put the cherry on top of this awesome story would be to meet STY and JJ. You are fabulous!

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  16. Simply put: Its the best love story ever written. I love to read and these are the only books I have been able to read for the last year. I was a late comer to the series. I had never heard of it until I saw the movie trailer. Saw the movie and really enjoyed it. My sister was the first one of us to buy the book and she told me I had to read it too. Got the book home and horror apon horrors, the book was written in first person. I hate reading in first person, but I gave it a try any way. I was not completly hooked until page 314 and the line that said "you are my life now." Now thats love and I never looked back.

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  17. My love for Twilight only started this year. I saw the movie first then read the books. I quickly became consumed with the story and did not want it to end with Breaking Dawn. I wanted more. More of Edward. Rob became my visual obsession and slowly but surely I did fall down a deep hole. I had no where to turn and no to talk to. I turn to facebook groups but they were completely lame and people see that you are commenting constantly on the boards. I hated that but through one of those lame groups, I found your site. I started following you maybe some time in March or could have been April. You guys made me laugh and not feel alone. Your site was the only site that I turned to and through your comical stories of your own obsession, I eased on my need to have twifriends and learned that I could find comfort in them online... Thus where I am here today. Fully embrassing my love for Twilight and thanking Stephanie for bringing back my love to read to me. Now I read all the time. That's my story!

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  18. I too was really really late to the Twilight game. I work in an office of Twilight fans and thought they were nuts (they aren’t twitarded though). I just thought they'd completely lost it. I mean a teen vampire series? C'mon? Are you kidding me? I was ROLLING my eyes at some of my co-workers...
    I caved, and oh boy did I cave. I ended up reading the entire series in 4 evenings. And reread it for the next MONTH.
    What is it about the stories that makes them like crack? I mean, I’ve said it before, it’s not the writing. SM does not write prose. In fact towards the end of my twilight reading bender I was ready to get black out over every “grimace”. I think it’s a mainly this.
    1) Bella is a really basically the writers proxy. I mean I don’t know about you but I had some serious flashbacks to high school. Smart, nerdy girl that has low self-esteem and is klutzy and thinks that no one understands her? Did SM stalk me in high school?. So voila, with the wave of a wand - you’re a main character. It’s wish fulfillment at its best! All of the sudden you’re transplanted into a story where you’ve got great friends (including someone that shops for you), in-laws that love you, you’ll never have to work or go to school ever again, you get an amazing wedding, and last but not least, a guy that worships the ground you walk on and resists everything in his being to love and protect you.
    2) It’s the old Villian becomes Antihero dance too. But that’s an English essay I ain’t writing,
    What’s made me stick around in the Twi-universe? It`s a distraction at work, from life, it`s talking with other twitards/friends/family, it`s fanfic, it’s JJ and STY’s crazy adventures. And cause I’m a total nerd – I did a wordle of every comment thus far...kinda cool that love is the biggest word..... http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/1335739/Twitard_blogger

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  19. I'm not reading the comments yet, just so I make sure to come up with my own original composition. I'm taking this seriously because I have the same issue and need to nail down a good concise answer to give people.

    @STY - Thanks - this is brilliant. I'm somewhat of a writer myself, and may actually email my pretty original story to the Post. :) Fun - a project!

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  20. OK, so I am not sure I can say it any better than @mmMoxie because she pretty much nailed it for me too. I am a 38 year old(39 next week) married mother of two. My young daughters have been my priority for so long that I kind of forgot about me. I started the seried in Dec. of 2007 and never looked back. After reading the series I, too, felt that stupidly giddy, giggly feeling of being a 15/16 year old and it has NOT gone away. I seriously thought I was going nuts(There was no Twitarded back then)....but I was not willing to trade that feeling for anything! I read somewhere that the feelings that the Twilight series makes us more mature fans feel is akin to falling in love..the feelings of new love...when I read this I was like YES, YES, YES! But clearly that new love feeling has never worn off for me.

    I spent months re-reading the books. I have NEVER re-read books. My children referred to them as "Mama's apple books", Mr. VitR was wondering when the hell I was going to read something else. I am past the constant re-reading now (well fanfic has taken the place of the constant re-reading so I am not sure if that counts) but I almost feel like my Twilight love is now my online Twi-buddies and blogs. I love the daily banter--I love the freaking hilarity that results from all you funny-as-shit and smart women. I definitely get that teenage-group-of-girlfriends mentality. There is never TMI and I don't care what the hell people think. I have gotten way more into music again. I used to be a total NPR junkie and now I listen to music way more than NPR. Ha! I love, love, love knowing I have a place to go any day of the week to laugh....it is a beautiful, beautiful thing.

    OK, so I am not sure how to sum up my somewhat schizo response here. I, of course, love the romance and the fantasy element of the story (and I have always been a sucker for vampire lore from Anne Rice to Buffy) but, in the end, it turned into so much more for me than just the Twilight story. I truly think it has helped me channel the best parts of being young and made me realize that "So what if I am pushing 40, I can giggle and be dirty and lust after boys too young for me. Who freaking cares! It makes me happy. If you don't like it, well, you can kiss my Twi-lovin' ass!"

    Sidenote: For all of the eye-rolling and occasional comments of disgust I get from Mr. VitR, my Twi-obsession has made our marriage sooooooo much better in so many ways. The jury is still out on if I am a better mom but for the sake of argument let's just go with.....yes.

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  21. Why I love twilight:
    After a certain point in life, you mature to the point that you realize that all those fairy tales were a load of crap and though entertaining, were not the how-to manual that some of us thought they were in our youth.
    It is not something that happens over night. At some point you just realize that there is no such thing as that perfect prince that sweeps you off your feet, is willing to die for you and loves you without end or condition.
    That is not to say that there are no happily ever afters...but your definition just changed, became more realistic. As my mother always said, "you can't live off of love."
    Stephenie Meyers has the unusual ability to write in a way that you don't feel you are reading a narrated account of someone else's story. You actually experience the story in first person. As a result, you feel firsthand the feeling of being in love (in that fairy tale story - you CAN live off love way). She renews your innocence. (which cracks me up considering the very UN-innocent obsession I have developed over our precious as a result of this movie)
    Although you may have twinges of this innocence in moments in your life, for whatever reason this saga has extended that feeling. I feel the same wonderful emotional roller coaster every time I read the series. (I have listened to the unabridged audio version about 6 or 7 times now)
    The world is a rough and tumble place...my mature mind knows that the other forms of escapism (drugs, alcohol etc) have side effects that I am no longer willing to deal with...so I have found a "drug" that allows escape that has side effects I am willing to deal with...and we all know what those are - or our loved ones do anyway lol.
    Jeez, how is this for a first published novel-comment lol!
    word ver- shoma - shoma some rob muffin!

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  22. I got addicted to Twilight a year and a half ago after finding out that "Cedric Diggory is going to play a vampire."
    For those who know me, I love Harry Potter, my favorite movie is Goblet of Fire, and I loved Cedric Diggory.
    Alright, enough of that. I like Twilight because it is my own brand of "brain heroin". I was an English honors student in high school who had to read a lot of brain busting, thought provoking books such as 1984 and Hamlet. The most overtly "girly" book I had to read for my classes was Jane Eyre. Now, I'm in college, and I have to read Freud and Focault as homework. I love reading books that "relaxes" my mind or else I will end up an angry nihilist. Twilight awnsers my need for something that I can enjoy that will not get me graded.
    I also treat the books as my own form of revenge. I was harassed throught middle school and into high school by idiotic boys who made my life hell. Those boys grew up to be idiotic men who want nothing more than to get girlfriends. They are still jerks, and Twilight raised my standards so that I can say, "look, I am not going out with you on Friday night because 1) you teased me in middle school, 2) you treat women like ****, and 3) you are no Edward Cullen. Sorry, but try being a gentleman once in a while. It will do you some good." I think that by reading Twilight, the boys will get a clue and shape up.

    Mind you, I'm 19, and chivalry among my XY counterparts is pretty much dead.

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  23. I started reading Twilight because I was told by a coworker that Stephenie Meyer was being called the next JK Rowling. I could not believe it, I am a hard core Harry Potter fan. But he had bought the book so I decided to borrow it and read it. I read Twilight in about a week and I thought it was pretty good so I borrowed New Moon from the same coworker (even though he wasn't finished yet) I was heading out on a flight home to PA for the weekend and didn't want to wait till I got back (basically I just needed something to read on that long ass flight) I started reading New Moon at around 6 am and had finished it by 1 am. I was completely and totally addicted. I finished the next 2 books in a week. After getting another friend addicted we discussed why we love it so much and we realized that Twilight captures that wonderful feeling of first love. It is so new and wonderful and with the added bonus of your boyfriend just so happens to be a vampire. New Moon is my favorite of the series because it depicts just how horrible it is to lose the one you love. That feeling of being unwanted and the gaping hole it leaves behind. You spend the entire book mentally screaming "Where the hell is Edward and when is he coming back?!" Stephenie Meyer just knows how to tap into our emotions
    Oh and btw I have read the series about 3 to 4 times through now and I love Twilight more than I did the first time I read it but New Moon is still my favorite! Less than a week to go!!!!!!!!

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  24. welll...i would consider myself to be a late bloomer in the Twilight obsession. Obsessed all the same..completely. I kind of stumbled on the movie, as I had yet to learn that there was a book (let alone 4 of them). Im not sure where I was or what hole I was in when the Twilight books first started coming out. Im sure I was being a college student, single mom, with a job, which is all the reason why I never saw the movie or heard much about it. After I graduated college and moved back to hell-hole im from, I stayed home and watched movies all the time!!! So one night while I was browsing through the movie selection in the RedBox thing..I saw Twilight (it had just come out on DVD), so I thought "what the hell? lets see what this is about." That was the moment I was hooked. I went downhill from there as my life was quickly taken over by all things Twilight.

    I would have to say that the thing that made me love Twilight was the love story and the fantasy of the whole story. I was in a pretty bleak place in my life (still am really) but it was something that evoked all kinds of crazy emotions in me. While I read the books I laughed out loud, gasped, cried, stopped breathing, and almost had complete breakdowns with anticipation on what was going to happen next. Im sure my daughter (who is 3) thought that I was completely insane (which I very well may be! lol) That is the obvious, cliche reason why I love Twilight.

    On a different note, I think that it gave me some since of hope that, I too, could have some sort of relationship like Bella & Edward (or any of the Cullens for that matter). Ive been plagued by bad relationship after bad relationship so I think I had just accepted that was how things were gonna be. Reading the books kind of sparked something in me and made me want to find something different..to seek out a love similar to that (bc I dont think I could find the exact comparison. I mean Edward doesnt fucking exist..nor do vampires damnit lol). But a girl can dream, right? I think thats essentially what Twilight is all about...dreaming and fantasizing..and all that good stuff!!

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  25. Why do we love Twilight so much?

    hmmmm....

    To be honestly, there is a large part of me that is screaming: ANGELA BITE YOUR FUCKING TONGUE!!! And I think for once I will heed her demands. I feel at times I say things and people just don't get it... Or my dumb ass, warped mind has some how turned Alice...

    But I will say this much... Ooooo deeear... where's the duct tape when you need it! *slaps hand over mouth, bites down on tongue hard*

    *mumbles something about of course it's still all about the books and shuffles back to her corner with blood dripping from her mouth*

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  26. (I'm jumping straight to comment and then all go back to read other comments)

    Twilight woke up feelings that I didn't know or forgot I had.
    Although it's written in a simple manner, it made me feel deep inside of me what the caracters where feeling.
    I can relate to them. They are real (although fantasy).
    It's not like other stories where I can understand part but somehow I can't grasp the why's and the what's.
    With Twilight I can understand completely why Bella feels that way. New Moon makes sense; the all "hole in the chest" thing, I DO understand.
    I can even relate to the relationship between other caracters.

    I have to say,for me, Breaking Dawn doesn't quite fit in he description above. It lacked the deep feelings/deep relationships the others had. It felt rushed and I felt robbed.
    The story doesn't bother me; because if that how Stephenie imagined it, that's how it should be. What bothers me is what's missing.
    Sorry if my opinion offends anyone.

    Well, to sum things up, when I read Twilight I feel a connection; as if I could experience (or had at some point) these feelings for someone; I could react like that to the same things. It's deep but not at an impossible level. Does this make sense?

    Kisses.

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  27. I know exactly why I love Twilight.

    Let me start at the beginning. I first saw the movie, and was totally surprised. It was so sensual, stripped of all the unnecessary bullshit, and just plain honest. This had me googling Twilight and it wasn't long before I discovered that there were 3 more books. I felt some invisible force urging me to read them. I never suspected that I would become obsessed.
    I fell in love with the Twilight saga for the same reasons I loved the movie - its honest depiction of intense and beautiful love - an ideal for me. And it was fun, fast paced, with lots of introspection from characters, which I really loved. Despite being oriented around vampires and werewolves, the story is incredibly real.

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  28. Anonymous because I still can't remember my name or pswd.. Shrug..

    First it's 4 am I'm sitting up w/a dog who's trying to not die and the webster's function of my brain is not awake..sorry for the spelling. And no I am not some spinster who will one day be found dead with a house full of cats.. well I'm not a spinster the houseful of cats still remains to be seen, but not if I go before my husband.

    It's inspiration for sites like this and twi-porn. Totally the Twi-porn !

    Really peer pressure got me to read the books after seeing the movie and just not getting the fuss. I was a Lost Boys girl and no Vampire movie could top it.

    My friends kept pushing So on a long flight layover to Phoenix no less I caved and bought the book.. I was lost in it. It reminded me a little of my own personal evolution. Characters I could relate too. Girl with crazy mom moving and going to a new school Wanting to blend into the woodwork. Ok with fitting in as long as they kept their distance and I didn't have to compromise my independence to do it. Being a loner w/just a few close loner friends. Meeting the "beautiful outsider" with the unruly hair and the large crazy family to boot. The pages sprang to life !! From the baseball game which was football in my case to the dad cleaning the shotgun while meeting the new boyfriend. Yes my dad did it, muttering with a glare "This one can't be traced !" All the way up to the "Can't we just go to Vegas ?!! I totally got it. Then the movie made sense and the actors brought the characters to life !!!

    As I was watching Oprah during work hugging the remote and threatening to chuck a pad of post-its at anyone that dared come close to changing the channel I was really facinated that the idea of the book came from a dream and I think the draw comes from that. It's ok to dream. To loose yourself just a little for love but remain in essence who you are. If you can do that you've found true love. In my best Princess Bride Peter Cook imitation " Forr twwwrrrue wuwe is what bwings us togewther" The book in the end is about love and peace both the wolves and the vampires shared great love for their family and still managed to extend that if not love but peace even to their sworn enemies. In some part of our collective conciousness we get these characters. Like the Breakfast Club maybe there is a little of these characters in all of us.
    My eyes are crossing and I'm starting to not even make sense to myself ! The fur kid seems to be resting so I'm going to try and get some sleep before my little man decides he's having nightmares and kicks me in the face until I have to go to work bleh.

    Oh and to the first person that posted

    Lauren.. It took us 8 years. Get drunk and I mean really drunk. Bar fight caliber drunk !!!

    Did I mention the Twi-Porn ?

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  29. I got introduced to Twilight last summer from a friend who is a teacher. Whenever we would meet-up she would have her face in one of those friggin' books and she would go on and on about how great they were. When she told me that she got introduced to the books by the tweens she taught, I knew I would never read those books. I already had things to be ashamed of. Like being in my 30's and rockin' Hello Kitty like I was 5 and not rockin' Hello Kitty in the Kimora Lee Simmons/Paris Hilton way with diamonds and such. Both ways are embarrassing but the latter is the acceptable one on the embarrassment scale.

    Back to point, tween approval and the fact that SM isn't Anne Rice I wasn't buying it. But my body began to fail even further than it had in the past and I got deeper in an illness and I needed an escape. There was all this hub-bub about "Twilight" the movie that I couldn't escape, so I broke down and bought the books. They sat in my apartment for a couple of weeks collecting dust. And then I had a really terrible night with my body and like always I couldn't sleep. So instead of doing what I always do, I cracked back the plastic on first in the "Twilight" saga and began reading. And I couldn't stop reading - I was wrong (who would've thunk it) and the tweens were correct. Stephenie had trapped me in her little "Twilight" world. She had consumed me like Anne Rice had in the past, but more so. The light at the end of the tunnel of my crappy life had reappeared - I had some escape from my failing body. The loss of the physical things we as women spend thousands on wasn't as bad.

    "Twilight" brought joy back into my life - I was hooked. I became a twi-hard (ducks head in shame at that admission). But now a little over a year later in my "Twilight" obsession I'm grateful to my friend for the intro, grateful to Stephenie for having the dream, grateful that SM's family pushed her to try and get the story published, grateful to all the Twi-blogs and the folks I've "met" due to our love of "Twilight."

    As cliche (and extremely cheesy) as it may sound, "Twilight" changed my life for the better. I was at the deepest/darkest place I have ever been and these books and that movie made a difference and brought some joy to what I though was my dismal existence.

    So I'm enjoying the craziness of it all!

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  30. Here this sums it up for me. From our "Twihater" blog.

    It was the way it made me feel.
    It was the characters and how they struck a chord with me. It was the way Edward made me tingle, and the devastation I felt when he left Bella in New Moon. It was the moment I realized I was Team Jacob, and the fanfic that soon followed. It was the way it made me remember what it was like to be in love for the first time. It was the people I was meeting through blogs and the friends I was reconnecting with through our love of Twilight. It was a lot more than just the vampires.

    It was so. much. more.

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  31. WOW-what a question, er why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near, just like me they need to be close to you....lol Ok so yes I haven't actually stopped reading the books yet from when I first got them about a couple of months or so ago. I'm on the 5th rotation of all 4 books with a Midnight Sun thrown in twice for good measure-Obsessed-Moi?
    Anyway...I think I relate to the fact that Bella has always felt the grown up, the slightly out of the loop girl that didn't have many friends until she got to Forks. Until I got to college so about her age I wasn't particularly popular nor did I ever feel pretty although apparently I was (who knew!)Edward is also the perfect boyfriend, the out of the loop teen but because he is so goodlooking, well off and aloof. A connection. He is the perfect gentleman, he loves her totally and absolutely, he is willing to do anything for her. He is the knight in shining armour coming to her emotional rescue (to quote the Stones)He is every teenage and really, womans ideal of a perfect romantic hero but with the dangerous twist that the rebel/rogue has. The intensity of their shared love and the angst involved cannot fail to pull at the heart strings. I fell in love with Edward before I saw the Golden one on screen anyway. Edward is and always will remain the perfect leading man, Bella is his perfect foil, the damsel in distress but with a little bit of stubborness thrown in. Romeo and Juliet, Cathy and Heathcliffe, Anthony and Cleopatra, Scarlett and Rhett. Edward and Bella are romantic fiction for modern times that makes us all feel like that teenage girl who loves the one she thinks she can never have and who in this reality/book can have and who loves her totally. Fantasy beautiful fantasy that we wish could be true life and THAT ladies is why I love Twilight because I want to be Bella and have Edward as my Prince.

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  32. Oh er and bacuse I am a hopeless romantic that used to be a goth and have had a slight fixation with vampires since i was 10 years old, so the perfect romance for me really-sigh and it has a happy ending where all the vampires live happily ever after-Disney eat ya damn heart out!!!!

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  33. In the beginning, it was Edward. Absofuckinglutely, 100% Edward and the way he made me feel...and that feeling is still there...kind of a giggly, blushy, heart pounding in your chest, wanting to hold his hand but not being able to work up the nerve because you're just an awkward kid kind of feeling. It brought back my youth!

    Then one day while searching for more Twilight information or pix or something...anything! I found the Twilight Superfans sight. While I was checking it out, I saw that they'd posted something from Twitarded, so I gave it a clicky and saw this : "We are two over-thirty chicks who never really meant to fall in love with Twilight... but somehow we did. Hard. Inexplicably, we've got a lot to say on the subject."

    I am home.

    The original feelings are still there, but now it's more...I have a new community of friends. I can giggle and laugh and sigh and cringe with my oldest daugher over Twilight. I'm doing things I've never done before both online and in real life. I'm reading fan fiction. (Lots and lots of fan fiction!)

    In short...Twilight has made me a better person...I think.

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  36. Twilight-books,movies, music, blogs has made me feel young and involved again. I shared Bella's ride in Twilight then got turned on to Midnight Sun which enriched the Twilight story even more. I loved my first vampire in Dark Shadows in the early 70's-yes i am a 52 yr. old professional woman who is totally TWITARDED.

    It has opened me up to the possibility of love again in my life-a door that i pretty much had closed prior to Twilight. I,along with many women, always tend to go for the BAD BOYS, and Edward/Rob is a definite BAD BOY! Luscious thing that he is!

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  38. Here's what I just emailed HesseM at the Washington Post. =) I love you guys!!!!

    Good morning,

    Snarkier Than You and Jenny Jerkface mentioned we should send you an email as to how and why we've fallen in love with the Twilight Saga:

    I'm a married childfree thirty-four year old woman living in Atlanta, GA.

    I owe my Twilight obsession to a wonderful stranger in Target one day in July 2008. I was in the book aisle looking for another book to read, bored with the selection when all of a sudden this woman - average, mid-thirties, I could have been looking in a mirror, - runs into the book aisle and with a gasp exclaims "there it is!" I looked at her, perplexed as she was reaching for a book on the young readers book shelf. I thought maybe she's buying a book for her kid that she couldn't find in other stores. She caught me looking at her and said in a very passionate voice - "have you read these books yet?!" "um.... no." "You MUST. Here! (she thrusts Twilight into my chest) Start with this one!" And then she leaves... my stranger who I never got to thank. I open the book to read the first page and I swear I heard angels voices singing in the background...and like how Mary Poppins jumps into the chalk drawing into a new and fantastical world, so did I. I stood in that ordinary Target book aisle reading the first chapter and realizing I had just started something extraordinary.

    Why do I love it? Raw adolescent feelings that I buried deep below when I had my first love and loss, passion, drama, love, a great suspenseful story, happily ever after...

    Why do I still love it? A wonderful Twilight community of adults connecting online, an awesome tradition started with real life friends sharing the movies together, and a fabulous new and vibrant sex-life with my husband, and the story never never gets old.

    Oh...and Robert Pattinson is fucking hot.

    There's my story and I'm sticking to it.

    Thanks!
    ~Cheryl
    aka Twichotic

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  39. Like so many of the other ladies, I actually avoided Twilight because of 1)my love of HP 2)it was labeled "teen fiction" 3)there was so much hype and I'm stubborn. So I was a late comer but I'm a full addict now. And that's what it is, an addiction: I felt/feel a high while I'm reading it. I'm a teenager again feeling those exact things I felt with my first love. I'm giddy, and silly, and hopeful, and romantic (not bogged down with real life crap). And when I'm done reading, I have a crash and a true need to take another hit of Edward and Bella.

    I saw the movie after I read all of the books and I won't lie, seeing RP as Edward, drove the obsession even further. Which I can't say dh is thrilled with, but doesn't really have a choice.

    I actually described Twilight fanfiction as my methadone to SM's heroin-like addictive writing. It's not as clean a high, but it's fast, cheap, and available.

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  40. @VitaminR - I totally think this definitely makes you a better mom. No doubt! =) I loved reading your answer. I loved reading everyone's answers!!!

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  41. @TwiWeasel - YES! It has definitely made you a better person (altho I'm sure you were GREAT before!)... Twilight and Twitarded has made us all fabulous!

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  42. I love twilight so much because:

    1)the happily ever after scenario, though we all realize that life is not usually this way.

    2) Reclaiming of first love and the desperation and newness that experience evokes( if it is a good first love).

    3) It includes magical mystical all powerful beings that walk among us.

    4) Edward is the epitome all things perfect- intelligent, good looking, rich,sensitive, ( he even apologizes!!) able to protect Bella from the majority of horrific events that might befall her. He is the perfect man.

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  43. Twilight made me feel like myself again.

    I can't help but think of a stupid quote from The Breakfast Club, Ally Sheedy says - "when you grow up your heart dies".

    5 years ago I became pregnant and the guy left me and has never met our daughter (his choice, definitely not mine) and I have no family where i live so it's the two of just us. Real life was been joyless and unexciting since then. Nappies, crying, washing, bottles, quick nap, stress, late again, more tears, nappies, tantrums.

    I know... parenthood! But a rather isolated version of it. And i have felt over the last few years, in the middle of this pile of nappies (gawd, just remembered you call them something else don't you, er, daipers) and tears that my heart has died.

    When did i stop worrying about crushes, compositions, the view, writing, conversation, dating, music, books, films and love, everthing that makes me feel alive..

    and replace that with worrying about is she getting enough sleep/calcium/toys? am i working too many hours? not paying enough into my pension? why won't she stop crying?

    I'm not saying my experience of single parenthood has been tough, it's been very normal i think and i'm very grateful to a wonderful healthy daughter, live in a warm home and to be able to put food on the table but i have totally lost my sense of identity since 'growing up'.

    After a bit of a breakdown last Novmeber (08) something changed. Over the last year i've undergone a peculiar transformation. All the stuff i used to care about is coming back, my daughter's a bit older too which makes all the difference. And then in August (I know so late to this whole thing!!) i found Twilight!

    It was young, passionate and exciting. Made me feel like a teenager, I guess was the shot of adrenaline my heart needed. (flogging the heart metaphor to death now, i'll stop)

    I haven't looked back since! It's a little irritating when people at work say 'you need a boyfriend' when i talk about my Twilight addiction.

    Maybe they're right. But i don't think so. You guys are happily married and just as hooked..

    The only thing i'd like is a man-outlet for energy the Twi-smut generates!

    Hope that wasn't too long and boring! love you guys xx

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  44. I will be honest. I knew OF the books for a couple years, but had no clue what they were about. I am an extremely big vampire fan and well, a fan of odd romance stories too. Once my mother-in-law let me borrow Twilight, that was it. I started reading and I kept reading. I love Twilight because it kept me wondering what was going to happen. I was SO concerned that Bella and Edward ended up together in the end and every detour Meyer took, made me actually angry! I love to re-vamp the books because I love to revisit those emotions again and again. It hasn't gotten old yet! I also have to admit the "community" of Twi-hards (and Twitards) gives me the warm fuzzies inside and I have connected with people on so many levels. I can sincerely say my life would be different if I had never read the books!
    Sorry this is a long answer, but there is never a short answer to things we are so passionate about.

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  45. I. Don't. Know. There's the short answer. It's like falling in love and not being able to completely explain why you can't wipe that grin off your face, why EVERYTHING you encounter reminds you of your new love, why you suddenly see things like beauty and music as if from a new perspective. I read the books first. I cringed through the prose and kept reading at my daughter's insistance. I somehow came to care about fictional characters to the point that I didn't want them to go away. That drove me immediately to the next book and the next, then to multiple re-readings, online communities, fanfic, obsession with the face of Edward (Rpattz) which took on a life all it's own. I have to say I don't agree with the 'wanting to be a part of something bigger than yourself' which I have read as an explanation for the aforementioned obsession. I love my Twitards. You're my peeps. But I would prefer not to be a part of the worldwide hysteria if I had a willing choice. I am often chagrined at my unwilling obsession. Not that I would give it up. No way. I'm just saying. I could probably discover the cure to world hunger if I spent as much time and energy on it as I do feeding my Twi-hunger.

    Fkat

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  46. My first actual encounter with the Twilight world was when my husband and I, along with another couple, went to the Olympic Peninsula on vacation in August of 2008. We did it all–Port Townsend, Sequim, La Push, Hoa Rain Forest, FORKS–all of it. Everywhere we went we saw storefronts with Twilight books, pictures, souvenirs but nothing like it is now. Did I get it then? Did I ask anyone what it was all about? Did I care? No.

    Now fast forward to August 2009. My 23-year-old son and his 20 year old girlfriend (who are about to make me a grandmother ((!)) kept telling me I need to read these books–you’ve got to read all of them.

    I sat down one evening with Twilight in hand and around 10 days later I came up for air at the end of Breaking Dawn. The only reason it took me that long to get through them was because “life” kept getting in the way! Believe me when I say that the current book was my constant companion and any millisecond that I could put my nose into it and read a line was taken advantage of.

    I have all 4 of the books on my MP3 player and have listened to them at least 3 times through and have just finished listening to Twilight and New Moon a 4th time. I will listen to the other 2 after I see New Moon next week.

    So, back to the original question, why do we love Twilight? Why are we obsessed? What keeps us coming back?

    It is escapism at its best! It is the ability to push all, or at least most, of your current daily worries to the back burner of the mind and dream about being in that world, in their shoes. It is the fantasy of being that age again and finding your one true soul mate. It is the vision you conger up in your mind of putting yourself into their images and living their lives. It is about being able to have this sort of out of body experience where you can feel like you are floating above the world watching their world unfold in your imagination.
    People ask about how they can bring Breaking Dawn to the theater and keep it at the PG 13 rating. I am a firm believer that it can be done. We as adults are so adept to having everything put to us in such graphic reality that we forget how to use our imagination. Why do we need to see a raw sex scene (ok–I admit it’s a lot more fun) why can’t we let our minds run with the scene of a robe being dropped on a beach and bare female legs walking into a moonlit ocean to join the man standing waist deep in the water with no shirt on. Cut to the next morning with feathers floating down, the sun streaking through the window blinds and the sound of eggs frying in the background. Now, it really doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what happened, does it. And, there is not one thing in this scene that is beyond PG13. If your mind is in the gutter enough (by the way–move over and let mine flow by as well) you will envision it all. But a 12-year-old mind will visualize it in the manner that a 12-year-old mind can-in their way and it will be different from what we see.

    I am 54 years old for heavens sake. Does being obsessed with a book written for teenagers embarrass me? Somewhat, but I am slowly coming out of the Twilight closet. I am getting to the point where I can thumb through the magazines in the aisle of the grocery store. I am getting to the point where I can admit to being a fan to other people my age–especially if we have just discovered we have the same thing in common–who knew! I thank Stephenie Meyer for giving me back the want to read again. I thank her for giving people of every gender, age, nationality and mentality a set of books that bring nothing but pure joy to the world. While some may think that her fictional world is a dark one it certainly is a bright spot in mine.

    PS: My husband, also 54, has read all 4 of the books too. He enjoyed them and it is nice to be able to talk to him about them. While he is not as obsessed as I am he does not ostracize me for mine. He simply shakes his head and looks away smiling.

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    1. Hi
      I am a similar age to you and became accientallly addicted to all things Twilight after reading the books for the first time this year,
      I am totlly hooed and really like the Fan fiction, with plenty of sex.
      Finding Twilight has changed my life and I am very grateful.
      Hazeldene

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  47. Ok PRSTLK, so I'm not the only 54 year old here. Good to know. I thought I was alot older than you all. Actually I turn 55 in 8 days.

    So what is it about our life that makes us so need to escape???? It really says something about our world that we have to absorb ourselves in fiction. Don't get me wrong, I do love the Twilight saga but I guess it irks me that our world, our societies are so screwed up that we are driven to escape.
    I have no answers, folks.
    Like an earlier commenter said, "I could probably discover the cure to world hunger if I spent as much time and energy on it as I do feeding my Twi-hunger."
    Maybe we are so conditioned to feel powerless that we just don't believe we can do anything to improve our existence, thus we escape into a fantasy world where people have super human abilities and where love and compassion win out.

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  48. saralight

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN 8 DAYS! I'll be there next June!

    You said "Maybe we are so conditioned to feel powerless that we just don't believe we can do anything to improve our existence, thus we escape into a fantasy world where people have super human abilities and where love and compassion win out."

    I think this is exactly it except I will add that we also might feel it is too late in life for us as well.

    I think we feel that the possibility of feeling the way they do exhists until we realize that we are probably to old for that to happen.So we go to the make believe world they live in and relive our lives. Boy that went in a circle didn't it!

    Love talking to someone else my age...so few of us out there.

    Where are you located?

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  49. Great to see that I'm not the only one over 50!! I love Twilight because it feels so real. I remember being Bella's age and never feeling like I fit in (probably how we all felt at 17(; like I was never going to be able to relate with "normal" people. Not what I usually read but I love the idea that you could actually meet your soulmate (even though he's a vampire) and have a happily-ever-after with him. Sigh. Of course, wouldn't want to go through that pregnancy! The books are a nice "what if." I read Twilight only out of curiosity because my nieces kept mentioning it. Turns out they never got around to reading it but I'm the one who got hooked! Rereading Eclipse right now - don't like New Moon except towards the end. Too sad!

    v/w: viasiest - it's the viasiest thing to get hooked by Twilight

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  50. Hey PRSTLK,
    I'm in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I have one Twilight bud here but she's in Santa Fe and is 14 years younger than I am.

    I'm not so sure that I feel too old to feel like I have some power in the world, I think it's more that I see the world as way too screwed up to even bother trying. Thus I can live vicariously in a fantasy world where hope and love and super human beauty rule.
    Actually I have always had a knowing that I'm ok on some level but I definitely feel like an alien sometimes on this planet. I'm hyper sensitive (physically)and easily affected by the craziness around me so it's easier to avoid it all and read a good book. And the Twilight books have provided such a sweet distraction. I've been sick with chronic fatigue for years and sometimes my brain just cannot function at all but I can read Twilight books for hours and hours. Funny how I can find the energy for them. And for the fan fiction that I am just now discovering. :-)
    OK, nuff said. PRSTLK, where are you?

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  51. I was a late comer to the Twilight phenomenon. I did not read any of the books until May of THIS YEAR! I saw the movie AFTER I read the books. There has been NO turning back since then.

    Why do I LOVE Twilight? That is a tough question. I would have to say the short answer is I love Twilight because of the love story. The romance, the longing, the inner turmoil....I could go on and on. And the fuckhawt vamps and werewolves don't hurt either.

    I also love that the Saga has given my family yet another thing to bond over. The only one in my fam that hasn't read the twilight books is my 5-year-old son (and that is only because he can't read yet!). We have something we all love (even the teenage BOY) and can talk about.

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  52. Bella's character really spoke to me. Her inner dialogue was relatable. Her quiet strength is admirable. She was alone but not bitter. There were no young women role models like that 20 years ago for me. hmm. Interesting that by "not being heard" she was seen. I just thought of that. By not creating a spectacle she stood out. That resonates for me. But her strength is not very teen-like (at least in hollywood) and I think this is what women relate to. i certainly do. because she behaves more adult . She's more like us than not. That's the big hook.

    I saw the movie first. I loved Kstew & Rpatzz portrayal. They are E/B for me. I love their chemistry. that's part of the hook. Also The fact that first love happens with a girl like Bella - i think it's easy to put yourself in there. It brings those feelings alive.. I also love the supporting cast & characters - all of them.

    I wanted to throw BD into the fire. cause really SM? imprinting ?- ohnoshedidn't!

    The fan fiction has kept the dream alive while I wait for movies to come out. And they speak to the Rated M part that wants to be hooked hard (LOL).
    The accessibility of the authors makes this community seem so small even though it's HUGE!

    It's just like going to the best HS or college and getting in..with the books, the films, the FF, Twitter & the blogs. I've got some great online twi-buds as well as RL. IA co-worker and I howl at each other when we are at work (she's Team Jacob- so I throw her that bone). I love sending pics and ideas out to friends who send me shit too. What fun!

    I was really touched at reading these..My heart goes out to Lauren, the 1st commentor. I'm so happy she has Twilight in her life. Happy for her and her family. Great thread and so inspiring and fun responses.

    JJ & STY - thx for the bestest Twi-Blog in the whole web universe.

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  53. Only when I really think about it do I realize what it is about Twilight that I think really sucks me in. First, I think it's the idea of being with someone you love forever - and I don't mean just your lover/spouse - I mean family. The Cullens will ALWAYS have each other. I saw the movie shortly after my mom passed away, but I've really only made the connection after I realized the ff I loved were those where I could relate to a terrible loss of a loved one. I'm not sure why I can look past Bella being okay with leaving HER family behind... but the other powerful feeling of always must be stronger?

    Second, I think even though I know I wouldn't want to live forever (I couldn't bear to watch that many people around me go), the idea of how much freedom it gives you to do anything... it's inspiring. They all can pursue infinite interests, and I find that intriguing. I would love if I could keep going to school and practicing various interests, but alas, I have a limit on time, money and can only balance so much. Darn it! ;)

    Last, I love the traditional attitude of the relationship from Edward. Do I give into smutty ff? yep, though I will finally admit to you lovely ladies, I generally skim the lemons, because I'm actually there for the back stories which some of these authors do such a fantastic job with. I know, you are wondering how I fit with the group;) I still find you ladies and all of the ladies that love you hilarious, even if I don't always agree with whatever the topic is. The point is, I'm Catholic, waiting until my fiance and I get married - and it was nice to see this epic love story that was being embraced by so many, had that same moral compass. Does that mean I judge everyone who has a different view than me, NO. However, I think it's nice for youth to have something that says it's okay to wait, and maybe a touch romantic. However, maybe Edward adds to the naivety that the GUY will be the one who will push waiting;)

    So no, it isn't the amazing writing, sorry S. Meyer - it's good, but no J.K Rowlings way with words. However, someone pointed out earlier, that she does a good job of invoking the feelings - so maybe that does mean her writing it better than it appears at a basic level. Not everything has to be Shakespeare quality to tell a good story.

    There are my deep thoughts:)

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  54. Oh, btw, ladies... I'm in Phoenix - which is just making me wish I had at least brought the first book with me! lol. Everytime I see the one-oh-one;)

    Tomorrow it's back to Boston.

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  55. the reason i love the twilight saga SO much is that .. all the stuff that goes on in the series.. there is so much to keep up with .. all the love, and drama.. there is so much to love about it .. reallly there is no answer to why i love twilgiht.. becasue twilight is just .. is the best... you cant not like it ! Once you read the book it just keeps wanting to you come back and read them again .. i have read them 20 times in totall .. i have READ the whole series 20 times.. i just cant get enough.. I have seen the movie twilight over 200 times..I can never ever get enough of Twilight, when new moon comes out i am going to see the 2nd showing possible for me .. i cant wait to see it ! I LOVE twilight and no one can ever tell me that twilight is stupid .. becsaue twilight is the best thing ever... i will never think of anyone when they tell me that twilight is stupid adn that i would NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER belive them becsae i know deap down that twilight .. is the best books ever made.. when someone asks me what my favourite book is ., i have to say i have more than one i have 4 1/2 ( midnight sun ) and when someone asks me what my favourtie movies are i say TWILIGHT !!! <3

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  56. @ KinTheFlo - "Interesting that by "not being heard" she was seen."

    That is a phenomenal point to make.
    I am jealous I didn't think of it :)
    Thank you for sharing it.

    I think all these comments should be sent to the Washington Post. There are so many amazing stories and reasons for the Twilight love. I am in awe of all of you and so grateful that I found Twitarded.

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  57. For me it was the whole story, the whole package. An impossible love, an unlikely pairing, a lovestory full of risk and danger, the suspense, the romance that still seems to be from another time and world maybe, and of course, the ultimate message of the saga: surviving against all odds. The story makes people hope for the best and brings back lost values such as unconditional love (duh), devotion to one's SO, devotion to a purpose, devotion to a belief system, persistence, FRIENDSHIP and FAMILY. What's not to love?
    But even if these things aren't quite enough for some, the fact that Twilight brings people together should be enough for everyone. It brought mothers and daughters, sisters, families and complete strangers close. It may seem crazy to the "outsiders", but Twilight has bonded old friends and created new ones. And it is NOT NOT NOT temporary, for as long as the trend lasts. Friends are friends and will remain such even when the initial catalyst is gone. Therefore, in a time when people need it most, it has helped us find something to hope and make friends all over the world. So, next time someone asks you "Why do you love Twilight?" you say "Because, without Twilight we would never be celebrities (duh!) and we would never even dream of meeting all those awesome, funny, interesting and equally talented people we met in the past 11 months. And read the fucking books and then tell me you don't love them too."

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  58. I fell deeply in love with my partner 10 years ago. 1 child and 8 years of marriage later Twilight came along and reminded me of what that falling felt like. I remembered what it was to not know someone but want to know them so much. The physical and mental desire for that one singular being. The books and the moveie took me back to the time when my now very familar man was a mystery to me. Of course it helps that Edward is perfect physically, has great breath, won't fart or need cooking for and as far as I can tell always has clean underpants.
    and and how could i also not mention he can also perform the most effective anti-aging EVER

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  59. I LOVE this site, I started reading it the first week of July and have been hooked ever since. You both make me pee my pant's laughing!! I'm glad you finally asked this question.
    First I'm an artist, so I never was in with the "in crowd" back in those days. I'm old enough to be everyones mother here but my imagination has never left me. When I sat with my best friend who is a mother also (daughter in college) she said that Edward reminded me of a man I used to date many years ago and I said, that's it, it reminds me of HIM! Twilight the book brought me back to that place so many years ago when I was happy an SO in love with this man who took my breath away. It was like playing with fire and I loved every minute of it. I remembered exactly how I felt and what the air smelled like and everything about it all, I remembered my capacity to care so completely about someone else that I forgot that I might get hurt. I did, he died some years later and I have never forgotten. Your books have taken me back to those days. I don't live there in the past but I'm reminded of the fact that those feelings are still there, just a little dusty, so to speak.
    I've always been creative and love to paint draw and do some writing myself, so the creativity of this book and the characters drew me in, they weren't the jocks and the popular kids, just like me.
    As far as the movie, I didn't see it until I could buy the DVD and WOW, I was surprised at what a great job the actors did, they made me believe that they were the characters, so I'm hooked.
    Imagination has no limits, not age, not gender not anything, so I enjoy it for what it is, an adventure. Love to you all,
    M

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  60. My boyfriend asks me whenever I start re-reading the Twilight Saga for the millionth time why am I obsessed with the Twilight books. And every time he asks I get stumped. I cannot think of an intelligent, articulate or rational answer to this question.

    I am 26 years old, I work long hours, have grown-up responsibilities and sometimes I feel old. Yet whenever I pick up the Twilight books it is like I am transported back in time to when I had my entire life ahead of me. I feel like I am 16 years old, I am in love for the first time, had my first heart break and get faced with grown up decisions about the future for the first time. The simplest way to put it is that Twilight evokes pure emotions of being young, being passionate and believing true love.

    What kept my interest in Twilight? That is definitely the twilight community in blogs like Twitarded and Twilightheaded. They are funny, witty, sometimes silly, and definitely more mature reading than the actual books. We all acknowledge our craziness for the book and the characters, how ridiculous it is to be swooning over fictional characters and being obsessed with the Adonis that is Robert Pattinson, and what do we do? We laugh about it. We share the joke of being a part of the Twilight world, share our stories of how the people in our world react to our obsession and connect with people very different from us with the only thing in common is our Twilight obsession. And it is great!

    Desiree

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  61. Truthfully, I was blindsided by my love of Twilight. I used to be one of those skeptics sitting on the sideline going "Why do all these weirdo's love this lameass movie?" - and then I read the books, and everything finally made sense. I find that Twilight is a rather fantastic modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet, and Stephanie Meyers manages to convey emotions so well, that when Bella's heart was breaking, mine was too...

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  62. I can't bring myself (now will my nagging 3 year old allow me to) read all 60+ responses, so if I repeat something someone else just let it slide.

    I believe that what appeals SO strongly to women about these books is that it encapsulates the desire most women have to be loved, unconditionally, for eternity, by a gorgeous, sensitive, thoughtful man, JUST THE WAY YOU ARE. Edward loves Bella this way. And the epiphany she has about this was rather moving for me.

    I also don't agree that you get older and learn that the fairy tale is unachievable. I think most people give up on the romance, the adoration, and the appreciation of their partner. I know that after 3 kids, 7 years of marriage and 11 years together, we've had some rough patches, but I undoubtedly still get butterflies when my husband sends me a simple text message saying "I love you" in the middle of the day. I am still in awe that he chose me, and sometimes I think the feels the same way. I believe that we all can have that relationship, but both people have to work at it. Twilight is the story of two people who want the fairy tale and choose to live it together every day.

    On that note, I think it's great to encourage our younger women to expect to be treated with the reverence with which Edward treats Bella, being that teenage girls have a tendency to put up with ridiculous amounts of bullshit from piece of shit teenage boys.


    In addition to that general appeal, for me it is also very similar to the intensity I had and still have in my relationship with my husband. I, honest to goodness, feel like I married Edward. He may not be Edward to others, but I find him to be so much like him. I think this may be why I lean Team Jacob, since I know what it's like to be in a relationship with Edward, so caring, so gentle, so chaste in his physical attraction to Bella. While Jacob is feral, raw, and blunt in his feelings for her.


    So, that's my dime store psychoanalysis of the phenomenon. :-)

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  63. Once again I am sitting here with my jaw positively dropped as reading everything that you guys have written! Fantastic responses - so many of you were able to articulate the things that we all love about the series but somehow aren't always able to get across to others when on the spot! Thanks for sharing!! We'll be sending the link for this post to the Washington Post reporter and I think she will have an amazing amount of info to help her put together her piece! And thanks to everyone who emailed us/her directly - you guys rock!

    : )

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  64. I'd never heard of Twilight until I visited my fellow blogger, Mary, one day and she couldn't contain herself over how fantastic these new books she was reading were. The vampire bit put me off if I'm honest because I'm not really into any sort of fantasy type stuff, but I trusted her judgement and ordered them. I read all 4 in less than 2 weeks and I hated Stephenie Meyer in the same way that I hated JK Rowling when I read Harry Potter - basically because I'd love to write a book and to come up with something that completely captures somebody the way that these captured me must be fantastic. When I read that she dreamt the meadow scene I felt even more sick about it lol!

    For me, the love story was the main part, the way that she described the relationship between Bella and Edward blossoming just grabbed me, I fell in love as Bella did, and just as madly. I think that despite what people say about Stephenie Meyer's writing, she does it in just the right way to make you feel a real connection to all of her characters and their world and it's done in such a way that it doesn't seem unbelieveable that they are vampires and shape shifters.

    Like Vitamin R, I never usually re-read any books, but I was in such mourning when I finished Breaking Dawn, that I started Twilight again. I've read them all several times now, but I do tend just to dip in and out now. My obsession has definitely been boosted by the fact that there are the films and merch out there too and that has added the dimension of my Robsession into it, which is the part that upsets Mr Stan and makes him jealous.

    I love Twilight now for the fact that it brought me a lot closer to Mary and also found me a fantastic new friend in TwiWeasel, impossible to believe we've only known each other for weeks! I also love the bloggy world I've discovered, I love it here and get many laughs each day from you Twitards.

    It also inspired me to start writing a fanfic, and I've had such fantastic things said to me about it that I've decided that once it's finished I'm going to have a go at something original. I'm sure it probably won't end up going anywhere, but I've discovered that I love writing so I might as well give it a go. Oh, and my blog too, I love it when people say that our posts have amused them, to think that I might have made somebody smile is a fab feeling.

    I hope Stephenie Meyer recognises what a positive impact she's had on people's lives, because there's certainly one 32yr old full time mum here who, having had three children (all boisterous boys) in the last 5 years and still battling post-natal depression, now finds life a lot more enjoyable thanks to the things that she created.

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  65. I can't add more, everyone has really done an excellent job of helping me look at my inner Twitard here. With all this New Moon promo stuff going on, all I can handle these days is the Precious in various modes of beauty traveling about the world. But, I do have a question for JJ & STY- do you know when we should look for the article in the Post? I live in the DC area and I can't wait to see it!

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  66. @Dangrdafne Thanks for the shout out. ya know it only hit me as I was writing my response. Poof. And there it was! So 2 those who don't comment - think about commenting - you just might learn something about how you really feel as you write! and then some one else gets inspired and lets ya know! Thx!

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  67. I just found one more reason: My friend is having on shit of day so I texted her... Chilax Arizona, if there's a sleep disorder center in Forks and a bio class with an owl that makes Rpatz look like a cheesy damn angle, everything will be alright and remember... everything is better with cup cake icing and unicorns.

    It made her day ;)
    So, the language and the love that has spiralled from reading the books is amazing.

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  68. I'm a late blooming Twitard. I first read the books in January, after Practically-Brother-Banshee saw the movie and told me I'd probably like it because I'm a big fantasy fan, in books and movies. I've always been a big reader, so I decided I'd read the books first, not really knowing what to expect.

    I was totally hooked a few pages in, because I could relate to Bella. I was a shy teenager with only a few close friends. Also I lived in a really fucking rainy place. I had the whole series read in a week, and it only took me that long because it was a couple of days before I could get NM and the others. I read Eclipse in one sitting. The story really captured my imagination somehow. SM may not be the world's best writer, but she sure can tell a good story.

    Another reason I like it is because of Edward (duh). I know what teenage boys are like. If there was a good looking guy at school, you could bet he was a complete douche who lit deodorant on fire and tried to make a weed substitute from banana peel with all the other douches. But Edward...sigh. A fucking gorgeous old-fashioned guy who likes fast cars and Linkin Park. Who could ask for anything more?

    @Lauren: Your husband is a wise man and you are lucky to have him. Even if he is Team Werewolf :)

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  69. @vigallmon I am incredibly lucky to have him. He even forced me to see that Jacob just might not be that bad. I know, it was a painful road to walk down, eating crow and having to admit I might actually like the wolves.

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  70. @Lauren: Hey it was me, not vigallmon! *pouts*
    And I like the wolves too. I just prefer the vampires ;)

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  71. It's near impossible for me to explain to someone why I love Twilight so much when I can't even understand it myself. It's the whole phenomenon that draws me in: the amazing love story of Edward and Bella, the books and movie that I enjoy over and over again, making friends in the online Twilight community and laughing my head off at the hilarious things Twitards say, fanfic that is worth giving up sleep for, and the inexplicable age-inappropriate lust I feel for a 23 year old actor. Twilight makes me a very happy person.

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  72. I got into Twilight after watching the movie. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and we would drive through Oregon at least once or twice a year. The movie brought me back to that time in my life.

    I then borrowed the books. I read them all in a week. I ran to Costco and bought the series and read them again and again. When my kids were being crazy, I went to Edward and Bella's world....(preferably Isle Esme)

    I think that Bella is a character that many of us relate to. She is awkward, clumsy, and not the most popular person at school. She doesn't seek attention. Most of us went through high school that way.

    For me, the book represented first love and how intense those feelings can be. My husband and I had a few separations during our early relationship (long distance romance) and New Moon summarized all those feelings for me.

    I also love the on-line world of Twilight and I love you Twitarded ladies. You really make my day.

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  73. STY, JJ - would I be too late to get in on this action? I plan on emailing you, if htat's ok. I've been thinking about your question since I read this post the other day. So lemme know if I'm too late, ok?

    xoxo

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  74. It's all my mother's fault. She thought I needed something to watch & read while recovering from surgery!

    Little did she know that she was the dealer of my new crack addition!!!!

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  75. Recently I was talking to a college-aged niece who is so full of possibility and excitement about the future for herself. She gushed about all the different options she had, how she might take time off, how she might go explore Europe, how she might change majors, etc.

    And I realized we lose that as we get older--that sense of excitement, a carefree attitude toward the possibilites for the future just because we are in a different stage of life and a little more set in routine. I mean do you hear anyone excitedly saying, "yeh so I might lose my job in a layoff but that's okay because I don't really need the money for a mortgage and I thought I might go backpack through Europe anyway ...?"

    I think Twilight stirs up those feelings of youth and possibility that came so easily at a young age.

    But I think we don't really lose a sense of wanting to feel excited over something and talk about it, instead it just kinda gets buried, backburnered, and Twilight gets it to resurface.

    I liken my Twilight fascination to my same sense of excitement and anticipation at watching BH, 90210 each week as a teenager. Rob P. is my current Jason P. Rob P. only heightened my whole fascination. I saw the movie first late summer and was relieved I could read the books and continue on in the Twilight world. And like back in the day of watching BH, 90210, I want all my girlfriends to share in this story/books/movies and call them up to discuss! Both had these worlds that are just presented so intimately that you feel immersed in it without even needing to be the characters, just be amongst them and know their story is sufficient.

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  76. @Anonymous--I was totally into BH 90210 when I was in college. My roommates and I had Jason Priestly posters all over our house. It was kind of a joke but kind of not. Clearly I am still in that frame of mind.

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  77. WOW-I love the answers on here and my own answer echoes most of these ladies like mmMoxie and Vitamin R.

    I am a 33 year old mom, bust my ass working 45+ hours a week and between the kids, house, husband, pets and work - you start to lose some of yourself, you don't have a lot of things that are "yours" - you have your interests in what everyone else does. But then my daughter introduced me to "Twilight" and against all my fights with her that I was NOT going to read some stupid book about vampires (I mean really, who even likes vampires!?!) I read them and OMFE, I have not come up for air since!!

    It does reintroduce you to romance in that new oh-my-gosh-is-he-looking-at-me way, the excitement, how you'll do anything to be with that person, the possibility of where life can go and that there are things out there that you may find hard to believe.

    I have also found these groups of crazy ladies, who aren't ashamed of their ages and how they love this crazy thing none of us can escape from. There isn't a day that goes by that I am not literally laughing out loud at my desk from something these girls write.

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  78. If this posts twice, sorry. I have little to no luck posting shit.

    This comment is a little late for the party just like my Twilight lust. I read the books after my mother dragged me to the movie on Thanksgiving evening last year. I found the story interesting but was mostly finding myself having happy thoughts about the pretty that is Rob. On the drive home my mom mentioned that she would lend me her books to which I was utterly surprised of their existence. She told me to have them finished by the time I came home for Christmas and I balked at her only to have time to spare in that feat.

    Anyhow, other than loving the ability to picture Rob as Edward the entire time, I think I love the story because I find Edward and Bella's love so believable. I'm a pessimist and want to believe in forever lasting love and all of that but I just don't. Having had too many relationship where I thought I was madly in love one minute and then incredibly annoyed and checking out the next, I've become a skeptic. I think Edward and Bella give me hope b/c their love is so strong and yet their relationship is so imperfect and riddled with problems. I never doubted their love even when Edward leaves and even when Bella whores herself out to Jacob. I guess I love it so much b/c I live vicariously through them where the idea of true love is concerned.

    Side note: I'm 27. I've been a cruel bitch and broken a few hearts. It's not that I don't believe in true love, I just figure that when I find my true love karma's gonna kick me in the ass and the object of my affection will not feel the same and walk away. I know. I'm a ray of sunshine.

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  79. I was a HUGE Buffy the Vampire Slayer dork. I mean, I tapped (before DVR was around) every show, I collected any magazine that the cast was in, and actually read Fanfiction back then. The writing for those shows was fantastic! When Buffy and Angel ended, I wanted to close the door on anything vampire related. Nothing else could compare to the love story there (or so I thought!) Then, last Thanksgiving my Aunt bought me the Twilight book. I finished the book in just a few days and started trying to Twilify my sister. I went to see the movie on Dec. 18th. I feel HARD for Robert Pattinson! Read the rest of the books in a few weeks and my sister read them in a few days!
    We live about 14 hours away from each other but talk daily about our love for Twilight and Robert Pattinson. She even texts me when certain fanfics have been updated.

    Now, here is how I felt after reading the books - I was very sad and a little depressed. I have been married for 10 years and I do love my husband very much, but I think Twilight made me feel that we don't love each other as much as Edward & Bella. It has rekindled the feeling of young love in me and all the lemony goodness of fan fiction has put a spark (if not bonfire) in the bedroom, but I feel like something is missing. Maybe it's just that there isn’t any fast running through the trees or the sparkly skin or immortality :) Or it's just that what I have is a mature love for my S/O and not the angsty, all consuming love that Bella and Edward have for each other.

    Anyway, I have really obsessed about the story and my husband said that I should start a blog, but I'm bloggy challenged and happened across you guys one day and I haven't looked back! I love the feeling of belonging to something that doesn't make sense. Oh, and enjoying all the smexy Rob videos. Thank you JJ & STY!

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  80. thanks to my stepfather-in-laws daughters and daughters in law I heard of Stephanie Meyer as a Mormon writer during Thanksgiving 2007. I read the three books that were out and enjoyed them. When I heard that Cedric Diggory was playing Edward in the movie, I was truly excited. I watched the whole Goblet of Fire feeling sorry for Daniel Radcliffe for having to be outshone by a supporting actor, beauty-wise. Twilight, the movie, was pretty lame, but made up for in in the biology schene where Edward glances away from Bella, then after his eyelashes pratically kiss his cheeks, he glances up at her with his intense eyes. Not to mention the orgasm inducing first kiss at the foot of her bed (I don't mind that the meadow scene didn't happen the way it was written in the book after that bodice-ripper of a kiss.)
    besides E&B I'm in love with Jasper both his book incarnation and Jackson Rathbone, somehow different, but both hot. Carlisle took my breath away when he walked into the emergency room. Kellan/Emmetts just a little too goofy and bulky for my taste. The vampire girls are all neat in their own ways. The human kids are fun. Bella's dad is perfectly played and totally hot. It's nice to have someone age appropriate in the movie to obsess about. I can't wait for New Moon. I have a feeling that Jacob and his pack are going to experience a true sea change once it's released. I'm looking forward to the Vulturi, but wary as they are the "bad guys." I've read the books and Midnight Sun so many times uncounted. Listened on audio. Read FanFiction at work, shoulda been fired by now. The books are a fantasy that tugs at us all.

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  81. My sister just sent this to me!!

    http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/11/16/older.twilight.fans/index.html

    SO freakin' great! Yay Jenny!!! Yay STY!!!!! =))))))

    So COOL!!!!

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  82. Everyone loves that feeling of falling for someone the first time. Of getting to know them and having your entire world someone connect to them. Being able to notice that special smile or how your stomach flips when you think of that person after they are gone. And a lot of us more "mature" fans are currently with someone, and unfortunately life has a way of making you adapt to your current surroundings. And at times that does include forgetting the beginning or taking some things for granted. Seriously, when was the last time you called your SO and said that you were thinking about them, simply because you could.
    So - I love Twilight because I got to fall in love right along side w/ Bella. I feel in love w/ Edward and my heart tore out when he left her becuase who the eff hasn't had their heart broken before?? And then I feel in love w/ Jacob all the while wishing Edward would come back.
    I love Twilight because I got to fall in love for the first time all over again. How can anyone not love that??

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  83. Why do I love Twilight... let me count the ways.... :)

    Twilight found me about a year ago - yes it found me I think! When I needed it, funny how things like that can happen....Last year wasn't a great year for me, my relationship had broken up, and all that goes with that and it was not a nice time generally. Anyone knows that it can be a very lonely time for anyone, even if you are surrounded by people, its just a very personal time. I had headed home for a break last year. And although I knew who Robert and Kristen were, and I had heard about Twilight- I was just aware of it, didn't really know much else.
    On the day I was flying back, I decided to raid the bookshelf for something to read on the plane. (FYI flight time 28hrs or so) My mum has a great habit of purchasing lots of new books - and for some reason twilight and new moon happen to be there. I remember asking at the time how she came to get them, and she said someone at work had reccommeded them, but she hadn't read them..... And what can I say, that one long plane ride was the beginning of my Twilight experience and I never looked back. I really identified with the characters for different reasons.... and New moon - although at the time I found it hard to read because it was a little close to home - really was something I could relate to, and helped me identify my own feelings just with what she was going through, as I was very hurting at the time(Even though I am not in high school, I'm in my early 30s)... I just loved the books, read them all back to back - the romance of it in that classic kind of way, that even with all the factors that were trying to keep them apart, that to a degree love wins in the end - such a lovely notion! SM just captured it all so well( Even though I still have some issues with BD!)
    But its not just the books, its the door its opened to this other world... the world of the entertaining blogs, and websites, the great people you "meet", and of course the gorgeous RPattz, and the tooyoungtobesocute Taylor. As others have often mentioned, its a place that you can come and hang out, and belong to something fun, exciting and different - where its all about the fun - not the economy or unrest, or what you look like, or how much you earn or what title you have... Its like the gift that just keeps giving! :-)

    All that and sooo much more are the reasons why I heart Twilight!

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  84. It makes me feel like something other than a 40 year old mom. I am just a girl again. I can be silly, & giggly, & fantasize with my new (non-Mommy-playgroup-friends)friends. It has improved my already good marriage - by making me -ahem- horny! I also love it because it is a great love story without being stupid & sappy. Nothing ticks me off more than when someone who hasn't read the book makes me feel like a freak.

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  85. I know it sounds cheesy or corny, but I love Twilight because it spurred me to change my life in some really fantastic ways. I didn't think I had the time to read as a stay at home mom, but once I started, there was no stopping! I went through all 4 books in 5 days time, and a funny side effect of it was while I was reading, I wasn't eating, or wanting to eat much, cause eating and reading at the same time doesn't work well. Anyhow, after those 5 days I had dropped 4 lbs, so I went with it, and 76 lbs later, my life has done a total 180. I am within 40lbs of where I want to be weight wise, I found the guts to go back to school, and I read like crazy now, something that will help when I become an English teacher in the next three years. So yeah, I owe Twilight one big freaking THANK YOU! for spurring me to bigger and better things.

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  86. Melissa-big kudos on that weight loss !

    Fkat

    W/V: whine.......waaawaaawa, why am I not 19, skinny, beautiful, rich, and oh yeah, f*cking the most beautiful man on the planet.....,

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  87. @Abigail, I think you said it perfectly for me: "I also don't agree that you get older and learn that the fairy tale is unachievable. I think most people give up on the romance, the adoration, and the appreciation of their partner. [snip]... I undoubtedly still get butterflies when my husband sends me a simple text message saying "I love you" in the middle of the day. I am still in awe that he chose me, and sometimes I think the feels the same way. I believe that we all can have that relationship, but both people have to work at it. Twilight is the story of two people who want the fairy tale and choose to live it together every day.

    On that note, I think it's great to encourage our younger women to expect to be treated with the reverence with which Edward treats Bella..."

    YES! I've been married 4.5 years and have two girls, and like so many others, am just emerging from the exhaustion and chaos of the infant/toddler stages (I have a 3 yr old and 1 yr old). Suddenly I'm reading 6 books at once, being more productive at work, and remembering the amazing and seemingly-magical story of my spouse and me-- how we met, how we're still in love.

    Twilight isn't a perfect story, but it reminded me EXACTLY of what I would have daydreamed about as a high school girl-- exactly. And it reminded me that I actually get to live my daydream with a man who is my Edward in every way. I am so grateful.

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  88. My sister recommended I read twilight about 2-3 weeks before the movie was released. I hadn't heard much about it all I knew was that it involved vampires. As soon as I started reading I was hooked and when I saw the movie it took it to a whole new level. I remember getting that unexplainable feeling when reading it, the one that can't be replicated. I often wish I could forget the whole story just so I could read it again for the 'first time'.

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  89. Truthfully, I was blindsided by my love of Twilight. I used to be one of those skeptics sitting on the sideline going "Why do all these weirdo's love this lameass movie?" - and then I read the books, and everything finally made sense. I find that Twilight is a rather fantastic modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet, and Stephanie Meyers manages to convey emotions so well, that when Bella's heart was breaking, mine was too...

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  90. I can't bring myself (now will my nagging 3 year old allow me to) read all 60+ responses, so if I repeat something someone else just let it slide.

    I believe that what appeals SO strongly to women about these books is that it encapsulates the desire most women have to be loved, unconditionally, for eternity, by a gorgeous, sensitive, thoughtful man, JUST THE WAY YOU ARE. Edward loves Bella this way. And the epiphany she has about this was rather moving for me.

    I also don't agree that you get older and learn that the fairy tale is unachievable. I think most people give up on the romance, the adoration, and the appreciation of their partner. I know that after 3 kids, 7 years of marriage and 11 years together, we've had some rough patches, but I undoubtedly still get butterflies when my husband sends me a simple text message saying "I love you" in the middle of the day. I am still in awe that he chose me, and sometimes I think the feels the same way. I believe that we all can have that relationship, but both people have to work at it. Twilight is the story of two people who want the fairy tale and choose to live it together every day.

    On that note, I think it's great to encourage our younger women to expect to be treated with the reverence with which Edward treats Bella, being that teenage girls have a tendency to put up with ridiculous amounts of bullshit from piece of shit teenage boys.


    In addition to that general appeal, for me it is also very similar to the intensity I had and still have in my relationship with my husband. I, honest to goodness, feel like I married Edward. He may not be Edward to others, but I find him to be so much like him. I think this may be why I lean Team Jacob, since I know what it's like to be in a relationship with Edward, so caring, so gentle, so chaste in his physical attraction to Bella. While Jacob is feral, raw, and blunt in his feelings for her.


    So, that's my dime store psychoanalysis of the phenomenon. :-)

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  91. My boyfriend asks me whenever I start re-reading the Twilight Saga for the millionth time why am I obsessed with the Twilight books. And every time he asks I get stumped. I cannot think of an intelligent, articulate or rational answer to this question.

    I am 26 years old, I work long hours, have grown-up responsibilities and sometimes I feel old. Yet whenever I pick up the Twilight books it is like I am transported back in time to when I had my entire life ahead of me. I feel like I am 16 years old, I am in love for the first time, had my first heart break and get faced with grown up decisions about the future for the first time. The simplest way to put it is that Twilight evokes pure emotions of being young, being passionate and believing true love.

    What kept my interest in Twilight? That is definitely the twilight community in blogs like Twitarded and Twilightheaded. They are funny, witty, sometimes silly, and definitely more mature reading than the actual books. We all acknowledge our craziness for the book and the characters, how ridiculous it is to be swooning over fictional characters and being obsessed with the Adonis that is Robert Pattinson, and what do we do? We laugh about it. We share the joke of being a part of the Twilight world, share our stories of how the people in our world react to our obsession and connect with people very different from us with the only thing in common is our Twilight obsession. And it is great!

    Desiree

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  92. I was a late comer to the Twilight phenomenon. I did not read any of the books until May of THIS YEAR! I saw the movie AFTER I read the books. There has been NO turning back since then.

    Why do I LOVE Twilight? That is a tough question. I would have to say the short answer is I love Twilight because of the love story. The romance, the longing, the inner turmoil....I could go on and on. And the fuckhawt vamps and werewolves don't hurt either.

    I also love that the Saga has given my family yet another thing to bond over. The only one in my fam that hasn't read the twilight books is my 5-year-old son (and that is only because he can't read yet!). We have something we all love (even the teenage BOY) and can talk about.

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  93. Bella's character really spoke to me. Her inner dialogue was relatable. Her quiet strength is admirable. She was alone but not bitter. There were no young women role models like that 20 years ago for me. hmm. Interesting that by "not being heard" she was seen. I just thought of that. By not creating a spectacle she stood out. That resonates for me. But her strength is not very teen-like (at least in hollywood) and I think this is what women relate to. i certainly do. because she behaves more adult . She's more like us than not. That's the big hook.

    I saw the movie first. I loved Kstew & Rpatzz portrayal. They are E/B for me. I love their chemistry. that's part of the hook. Also The fact that first love happens with a girl like Bella - i think it's easy to put yourself in there. It brings those feelings alive.. I also love the supporting cast & characters - all of them.

    I wanted to throw BD into the fire. cause really SM? imprinting ?- ohnoshedidn't!

    The fan fiction has kept the dream alive while I wait for movies to come out. And they speak to the Rated M part that wants to be hooked hard (LOL).
    The accessibility of the authors makes this community seem so small even though it's HUGE!

    It's just like going to the best HS or college and getting in..with the books, the films, the FF, Twitter & the blogs. I've got some great online twi-buds as well as RL. IA co-worker and I howl at each other when we are at work (she's Team Jacob- so I throw her that bone). I love sending pics and ideas out to friends who send me shit too. What fun!

    I was really touched at reading these..My heart goes out to Lauren, the 1st commentor. I'm so happy she has Twilight in her life. Happy for her and her family. Great thread and so inspiring and fun responses.

    JJ & STY - thx for the bestest Twi-Blog in the whole web universe.

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  94. WOW-what a question, er why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near, just like me they need to be close to you....lol Ok so yes I haven't actually stopped reading the books yet from when I first got them about a couple of months or so ago. I'm on the 5th rotation of all 4 books with a Midnight Sun thrown in twice for good measure-Obsessed-Moi?
    Anyway...I think I relate to the fact that Bella has always felt the grown up, the slightly out of the loop girl that didn't have many friends until she got to Forks. Until I got to college so about her age I wasn't particularly popular nor did I ever feel pretty although apparently I was (who knew!)Edward is also the perfect boyfriend, the out of the loop teen but because he is so goodlooking, well off and aloof. A connection. He is the perfect gentleman, he loves her totally and absolutely, he is willing to do anything for her. He is the knight in shining armour coming to her emotional rescue (to quote the Stones)He is every teenage and really, womans ideal of a perfect romantic hero but with the dangerous twist that the rebel/rogue has. The intensity of their shared love and the angst involved cannot fail to pull at the heart strings. I fell in love with Edward before I saw the Golden one on screen anyway. Edward is and always will remain the perfect leading man, Bella is his perfect foil, the damsel in distress but with a little bit of stubborness thrown in. Romeo and Juliet, Cathy and Heathcliffe, Anthony and Cleopatra, Scarlett and Rhett. Edward and Bella are romantic fiction for modern times that makes us all feel like that teenage girl who loves the one she thinks she can never have and who in this reality/book can have and who loves her totally. Fantasy beautiful fantasy that we wish could be true life and THAT ladies is why I love Twilight because I want to be Bella and have Edward as my Prince.

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  95. I got introduced to Twilight last summer from a friend who is a teacher. Whenever we would meet-up she would have her face in one of those friggin' books and she would go on and on about how great they were. When she told me that she got introduced to the books by the tweens she taught, I knew I would never read those books. I already had things to be ashamed of. Like being in my 30's and rockin' Hello Kitty like I was 5 and not rockin' Hello Kitty in the Kimora Lee Simmons/Paris Hilton way with diamonds and such. Both ways are embarrassing but the latter is the acceptable one on the embarrassment scale.

    Back to point, tween approval and the fact that SM isn't Anne Rice I wasn't buying it. But my body began to fail even further than it had in the past and I got deeper in an illness and I needed an escape. There was all this hub-bub about "Twilight" the movie that I couldn't escape, so I broke down and bought the books. They sat in my apartment for a couple of weeks collecting dust. And then I had a really terrible night with my body and like always I couldn't sleep. So instead of doing what I always do, I cracked back the plastic on first in the "Twilight" saga and began reading. And I couldn't stop reading - I was wrong (who would've thunk it) and the tweens were correct. Stephenie had trapped me in her little "Twilight" world. She had consumed me like Anne Rice had in the past, but more so. The light at the end of the tunnel of my crappy life had reappeared - I had some escape from my failing body. The loss of the physical things we as women spend thousands on wasn't as bad.

    "Twilight" brought joy back into my life - I was hooked. I became a twi-hard (ducks head in shame at that admission). But now a little over a year later in my "Twilight" obsession I'm grateful to my friend for the intro, grateful to Stephenie for having the dream, grateful that SM's family pushed her to try and get the story published, grateful to all the Twi-blogs and the folks I've "met" due to our love of "Twilight."

    As cliche (and extremely cheesy) as it may sound, "Twilight" changed my life for the better. I was at the deepest/darkest place I have ever been and these books and that movie made a difference and brought some joy to what I though was my dismal existence.

    So I'm enjoying the craziness of it all!

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  96. I LOVE this site, I started reading it the first week of July and have been hooked ever since. You both make me pee my pant's laughing!! I'm glad you finally asked this question.
    First I'm an artist, so I never was in with the "in crowd" back in those days. I'm old enough to be everyones mother here but my imagination has never left me. When I sat with my best friend who is a mother also (daughter in college) she said that Edward reminded me of a man I used to date many years ago and I said, that's it, it reminds me of HIM! Twilight the book brought me back to that place so many years ago when I was happy an SO in love with this man who took my breath away. It was like playing with fire and I loved every minute of it. I remembered exactly how I felt and what the air smelled like and everything about it all, I remembered my capacity to care so completely about someone else that I forgot that I might get hurt. I did, he died some years later and I have never forgotten. Your books have taken me back to those days. I don't live there in the past but I'm reminded of the fact that those feelings are still there, just a little dusty, so to speak.
    I've always been creative and love to paint draw and do some writing myself, so the creativity of this book and the characters drew me in, they weren't the jocks and the popular kids, just like me.
    As far as the movie, I didn't see it until I could buy the DVD and WOW, I was surprised at what a great job the actors did, they made me believe that they were the characters, so I'm hooked.
    Imagination has no limits, not age, not gender not anything, so I enjoy it for what it is, an adventure. Love to you all,
    M

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