I was introduced to Twilight by my cousin because we needed a series to ridicule. Let me tell you, these movies were so terrible that I will always watch them for a good laugh. This week we’ll be talking about the questionable use of Native Americans and the romanticizing of pale skin colors in Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight movie series (No, I didn’t read the books because I think it would be a waste of time).
If you haven’t heard of Twilight before, it follows a human girl named Bella Swan as she falls in love with Edward Cullen, a vampire. We learn that her best friend Jacob Black is a werewolf, the sworn enemy of vampires.
The CGI is questionable, and there are more plot holes than an actual plot. The collection of sub-par writing and terrible production decisions makes this one of my favorite movie series of all time, purely for how awfully the producers executed their intentions.
Jacob Black and the werewolves belong to the Quileute Native American tribe. Meyer, a woman who does not belong to any indigenous group, extensively researched Native American culture and legends to use in her story. The Quileute werewolf tribe was inspired by the actual Quileute tribe in Washington state. The werewolf tribe was seen in a positive light throughout the film and book series, often encouraging and protective of Bella.
However, Meyer and the producers of the movies failed to compensate the Quileute tribe for using their name, language, and culture. Meyer deliberately used a Native American tribe to further the plot without caring to acknowledge real-life counterparts and the source of such an important component of the series. Unfortunately, the attention to this issue largely died after the final movie in the franchise came out.
This sets some dangerous precedents for future entertainment works. Since Meyer got away with using a minority race, especially a Native American tribe, it leads other writers and producers to believe appropriation is acceptable. Native Americans have suffered too much from the actions of the United States to be used like this again.
Furthermore, the romanticization of having “pale white” and “pure” skin is incredibly suspicious to me. White people, especially the vampires, are seen as the ideal condition for more than just their supernatural abilities and immortality: Bella mentions that she wants to look like Edward in the way his skin is colorless and “flawless.”
The two Black characters throughout the series are seen as immoral or reckless, furthering racial stereotypes that view African Americans in a negative light. Make-up artists lightened the skin tone for Laurent, an African American vampire and the antagonist for the first few films.
Stephanie Meyer has racial bias toward white people. The romanticization of white characters and having pale skin, especially in Bella wanting to become a vampire, emphasizes Meyer’s preference for white-white couples. Moreover, her portrayals of POC are questionable, using the Quileute tribe for profit and creating destructive depictions of Black characters.
Twilight series: 1 star overall, 5 stars for unintentional humor
POC representation: -7 stars
https://www.empirestatetribune.com/est/12/10/2020/a-gen-z-era-look-at-twilight-racial-bias-in-2020
https://screenrant.com/twilight-quileute-controversy-native-mythology-scandal-explained/
September 16, 2022 at 2:17 pm
This is such an interesting post. I think Twilight has become an experience that Gen Z and Millenials share alike. And I think because of the nostalgia, we tend to overlook or turn a blind eye to the problematic ways of the author. However, I am glad that you are able to identify the humorous nature of the movie while addressing a lot of the problems.
September 18, 2022 at 10:43 pm
This post really makes the reader think deeper into such a popular movie franchise, which is why it is so intriguing. I like that you were able to identify two different problems that can be seen regarding race with these movies and how into depth you went.