WEIRDLAND: Bella: sexual aggressor?

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Bella: sexual aggressor?

Kristen Stewart quote: "I've always had an aversion to looking sexy, but I've grown out of it".

"Siering insistes that the fact Bella remains in thrall to the "overbearing" Edward even after he dumps reflects gender stereotype of women's dependence on men. Siering added: "In fact, just moments after Edward leaves her, Bella stumbles in the woods and refuses to get up, lying in the muck until a strong, bare-chested man carries her out.“Later, we see her sitting in her room, staring out the window, as the months roll by. When she isn't sitting and staring, she is in bed having nightmares. Very empowering. What finally rouses her is a vision of Edward-which she sees after she hops on a motorcycle with a creepy guy. Even this ghostly Edward is bossy, scolding Bella to be careful, but it seems Bella likes, or needs, to be bossed around."Siering concluded: "This is a film full of gender stereotypes-testosterone-driven male aggression, females who pine away over lost loves, boys who fix motorcycles and the girls who watch them. The one role-reversal in New Moon, where Bella saves Edward for a change, is immediately negated when Bella's low self-esteem takes centre stage.”"Even as Edward declares his love to her, Bella deems herself 'unworthy' of it, being simply human while he's a vampire and all. Perpetuating the idea that this is true love-torturous, painful, and unrequited-is detrimental to all of us, women and men. There's something scary about New Moon, but it's in the human encounters, not those with the monsters." Source: entertainment.oneindia.in

"Bella is often accused of passivity, but although there are certainly faults to be found with her fixation on romance to the exclusion of all other interests, she doesn't actually lack forward momentum. She's the sexual aggressor and instigator of change in her relationship, hurtling through milestones at breakneck speed-first love, first soul-crushing breakup, marriage (she is bribed into it actually), sex, (spine-crushing) childbirth, and motherhood in less than two years-before achieving her goal of eternity in a fairy-tale cottage with her loving family.Her transformation is agonizing and traumatic, but, aware of the risks and owning her choice, she pushes unrelentingly for it anyway. Although I do wonder if Bella's really considered the ramifications of repeating high school over and over again, as her husband and new siblings-in-law do-after this ultimate transformation, she has perfection, but a static and essentially unchanging one". Source: io9.com

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