Post by Marina on Dec 26, 2011 15:34:43 GMT -5
This is a slight rant, please bear with me.
So, recently I have started to notice more and more that a lot of popular YA fiction makes the disturbing into something that's hot. Some of you probably already guessed it: abusive boyfriends and doormat girlfriends. I'm going to pick on Twilight series, Hush Hush, Abandon, Goddess Test.... any one of those supernatural (most of them seem to be fantasy thou' not all) novels that have the mysterious all powerful man falling in love with the sixteen to eighteen year old girls. The men are usually controlling, mean, bad-boyish. In Twilight Edward is constantly telling Bella how he wants to kill her, and she's totally okay with it. I haven't read Hush Hush, but what I read in reviews it's basically a rip off of Twilight, and the main guy is also trying to kill the heroine. AND IT REALLY FUCKING BOTHERS ME THAT OTHER GIRLS FIND IT OKAY!! No, not only that they want their own boyfriends to BE JUST LIKE THAT.
I just did a paper on Hades and Persephone retellings, I have never been more disgusted. Most modern retellings are basically Stockholm syndrome romances.
Here's a quick disclaimer: I understand tastes are different and so are perceptions of young women. But these books are written by adults and published by adults. And it's not like it's subtle manipulation, often it's
"I"m bad for you, I can kill you."
"It's okay, I love you."
---
"I'm actually hundreds of years old, I only look like I'm your age, and I know you're only seventeen, but I love you."
"Sex, now."
(quotes made by me out of context)
--------
WHAT? Not only is the above considered normal. It's considered desirable. Again, I'm not saying that all women are like that or that ALL YA fiction does this, a lot of books do but they're usually in the bodice-ripper sections. But what's disturbing to me is just how popular these books get! How smart people hail these books as must reads, and they teach nothing to girls except that bruises are okay because he loves me and didn't mean it. That they find a guy you don't know is watching you sleep sexy, or takes out your car battery because he doesn't want you to go see your friend. I told my Women in Literature professor about what happens in Breaking Dawn, she freaked out because she let her daughter read it.
So I want to know how these books are okayed to be published. Another disclaimer: I understand that misogyny is still very prevalent in our culture and it saturates even our mentalities. But come one, when I guy says "I want to suck you dry, but I love you." You pick up your fucking feet and run and call the police. You don't say "it's okay, as long as you love me."
The worst is when you try to explain, nicely, to a person why you find those novels disturbing and all they say is "I like them because I can relate to what Bella went through"
I just...
So, recently I have started to notice more and more that a lot of popular YA fiction makes the disturbing into something that's hot. Some of you probably already guessed it: abusive boyfriends and doormat girlfriends. I'm going to pick on Twilight series, Hush Hush, Abandon, Goddess Test.... any one of those supernatural (most of them seem to be fantasy thou' not all) novels that have the mysterious all powerful man falling in love with the sixteen to eighteen year old girls. The men are usually controlling, mean, bad-boyish. In Twilight Edward is constantly telling Bella how he wants to kill her, and she's totally okay with it. I haven't read Hush Hush, but what I read in reviews it's basically a rip off of Twilight, and the main guy is also trying to kill the heroine. AND IT REALLY FUCKING BOTHERS ME THAT OTHER GIRLS FIND IT OKAY!! No, not only that they want their own boyfriends to BE JUST LIKE THAT.
I just did a paper on Hades and Persephone retellings, I have never been more disgusted. Most modern retellings are basically Stockholm syndrome romances.
Here's a quick disclaimer: I understand tastes are different and so are perceptions of young women. But these books are written by adults and published by adults. And it's not like it's subtle manipulation, often it's
"I"m bad for you, I can kill you."
"It's okay, I love you."
---
"I'm actually hundreds of years old, I only look like I'm your age, and I know you're only seventeen, but I love you."
"Sex, now."
(quotes made by me out of context)
--------
WHAT? Not only is the above considered normal. It's considered desirable. Again, I'm not saying that all women are like that or that ALL YA fiction does this, a lot of books do but they're usually in the bodice-ripper sections. But what's disturbing to me is just how popular these books get! How smart people hail these books as must reads, and they teach nothing to girls except that bruises are okay because he loves me and didn't mean it. That they find a guy you don't know is watching you sleep sexy, or takes out your car battery because he doesn't want you to go see your friend. I told my Women in Literature professor about what happens in Breaking Dawn, she freaked out because she let her daughter read it.
So I want to know how these books are okayed to be published. Another disclaimer: I understand that misogyny is still very prevalent in our culture and it saturates even our mentalities. But come one, when I guy says "I want to suck you dry, but I love you." You pick up your fucking feet and run and call the police. You don't say "it's okay, as long as you love me."
The worst is when you try to explain, nicely, to a person why you find those novels disturbing and all they say is "I like them because I can relate to what Bella went through"
I just...