THE INTERNET INFLUENCE

Fans and critics alike comment on Bella, the Twilight series, and its content. The debate of whether or not Bella represents a feminist character is often publicly discussed via social media websites, such as Facebook. Clever internet images and memes3

perpetrate online that compare Bella to other popular culture female characters, such as Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series. These images insinuate that Bella is a one dimensional character that fails to embody the characteristics of a strong woman. These images are predominantly posted on internet blogs or social media sites, such as Facebook. They often contain clever retorts and comment on current events or popular

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culture. Pictured below is a meme that was shared on the internet. This image first crossed my path via Facebook when an acquaintance shared the image and it appeared in my newsfeed.

Figure 2.1 Internet meme of Bella and Hermione4

The visual depiction of Bella in the above meme is an image – and plot occurrence – that is often selected to highlight her shortcomings as a strong female

character. This image is from the second movie, New Moon (Meyer 2006), in which Bella has wandered into the forest in search of Edward after he has broken up with her.

Distraught and lost, Bella curls up on the forest floor and falls asleep, unable to find her way out in the darkness. This visual is paired with an image of Hermione standing with a serene and contemplative look on her face. Thus, this image articulates the differences between the two characters and the ways in which they handled traumatic situations.

Pictured below is another meme that circulated around the internet. In this meme, Bella is compared to Hermione again and Eowyn from the Lord of the Rings series

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(Tolkien 1954). This image also depicts Bella in a passive, weak manner. By contrast, Eowyn stands with a sword in her hand and a stoney look on her face. Captured from the second movie in the trilogy, in this scene, Eowyn expresses her frustration at being unable to go to war despite her battle skills. Hermione again looks calm, as if keeping herself collected in a turbulent situation. However, Bella looks dazed with a confused look on her face. This image is captured from the first movie when Bella encounters an enemy vampire. The enemy vampire breaks Bella's leg in an effort to manipulate her and this image depicts her while she is in pain.

Figure 2.2 Internet meme of Bella and other female characters5

As I argued earlier in this chapter, comparing the different series and their characters is a complex process that requires more than a cursory glance. Without context, these

characters – and images – are stripped bare of their developments throughout the series

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and are instead frozen in time, unchanging and essentialized.

I highlight internet memes, in part, because I noticed that they appear in my social media newsfeed more frequently when the Twilight series has an upcoming event, such as a movie or DVD release. As the people who post the anti-Twilight memes are not

participants in my research, I can provide only conjecture as to why they initially posted the image. However, I think when the Twilight series public relations juggernaut is in full force with movie promotions and news articles about the cast, it inundates people – fan or not – with Twilight. In frustration with the deluge of information, people communicate their dislike of the franchise via social media. For example, the image depicted below is intended to be amusing and is hosted on a blog for “funny pictures”. However, even humor has a pointed edge and is loaded with cultural meaning.

Figure 2.3 Internet meme of Bella6

The image above has a double meaning; while the message is obviously anti- Bella, it couches it in humor, which renders it less direct. However, the blatant message is

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also a subtle message to viewers that to enjoy Twilight is to participate in the setback of women's progress. While Twilight portrays characters with traditional, and frequently conservative, values, this does not indicate that all readers interpret the same message. Michel de Certeau argues that consumers are not passive receptacles of hegemonic messages. Rather, each reader brings a unique experience to the reading process that results in “an indefinite plurality of meanings” (de Certeau 1984:169). Building on this view, John Fiske states that popular culture, much like culture in general, is not a static or fixed system; popular culture is not merely about consumption, it is “an active process of generating and circulating meanings and pleasures within a social system” (Fiske

1989:23). Thus, Twilight and its thematic messages are contested and situated, ranging from a view of Twilight as a set back to feminism to conceptualizing Bella as a strong female character. As such, what becomes important about Twilight is the multiplicity of interpretations that readers create as they journey through the textual world of Twilight. I became curious about the ways in which fans interpret images such as the ones pictured in this chapter. Savannah, a single woman in her late twenties, responded that Bella is described as “weak, needy, and dependent” when I asked her how the character was portrayed by the media. However, she believed this portrayal was inaccurate; “I think the first movie received more attention than expected and the media lost track of who the audience was intended to be...There were times when she [Bella] could have benefitted from sitting back and letting Edward do all the work, but she was a fighter.

Breaking Dawn Part 2, hello!” Savannah ended her defense of Bella, who is consequently her favorite character, by highlighting the final movie in which Bella becomes a vampire and almost single-handedly prevents the destruction of the Cullen

vampire family and their allies. As such, not all internet depictions of Bella are negative.

Figure 2.4 Pro-Bella internet meme7

Pictured above is an image that depicts Bella after she becomes a vampire. A popular phrase from the first book is “And so the lion fell in love with the lamb” (Meyer 2005:274). This image plays on that phrase and states, “Bella...From lamb to lioness...Breaking Dawn Part 2”. This meme communicates a positive message that focuses on Bella's journey throughout the series, from a lamb in need of protection to a lioness that is able to hunt and defend herself. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I did not come across this image organically through my social media newsfeed as with the other images. Rather, this image I sought out through an internet search for positive Bella memes.

While at an Esme's Heart meeting8, Karen lamented that no one, except her, liked Kristen Stewart anymore after the scandal in which Kristen Stewart cheated on Robert Pattinson9. Based on the frequency of internet memes and online comments, I also often get the sense that there is a general dislike of both Bella and Kristen Stewart although it is

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Blingee, http://blingee.com/blingee/view/118555924-Bella-Breaking-Dawn-part-2-, accessed February 13, 2013.

8 _{This social meeting was held at Mellow Mushroom in Macon, GA on February 7, 2013 and had} approximately 15-20 attendees.

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During the filming of the movies, the actress who played Bella Swan, Kristen Stewart, and the actor who portrayed Edward Cullen, Robert Pattinson, dated off and on according to the media. In July 2012, Kristen

difficult to determine if the disdain began before or after her public indiscretion. While not all fans shared Karen’s view that Bella and Kristen Stewart are above reproach, some fans identified a different view of Bella than that which is commonly portrayed online or in the media. I posit that Bella's developmental arc takes her from an average girl that needs protection and feels isolated to an immortal vampire who saves her entire family and attains everything she desires. However, I doubt many internet memes will circulate that highlight this journey as many internet memes gain their popularity through their critique, not their praise of a subject. As I commented earlier, Jenkins (2006) describes the convergence culture in which we all live and the web of meanings this creates. Thus, I address these images and their content in an effort to advocate for a more thorough

textual reading that does not rely solely on satirical material.

Internet memes are an increasingly frequent way for people to make statements online. Instead of writing out a few paragraphs that detail a topic, people will combine images and text into a brief statement that can then be quickly read by viewers. These images are then shared online, such as via Facebook, and become a quick way to share your opinion on a topic. Internet memes are not limited to a certain topic and I have seen a wide range traipse across my social media newsfeed. From sports to women’s bodies to politics, internet memes lampoon a myriad of topics, often in a humorous manner with a pointed edge. However, these images and snapshot reviews of a series become a method of perpetuating specific readings of a cultural text. Fans of the Twilight series frequently disagree with these stereotypical images of Bella and Twilight, citing specific examples from the series as to why they are false. I argue that, while these images lampoon

superficial, the images also have a counter effect of making fans more adamant about their support of the series and strengthens the bond between friends over the Twilight

series.