Amy from Amy Reads and Rachel from And the Plot Thickens have joined me in cohosting this special edition of Friday Coffee Chat. To keep the already long Coffee Chat post more manageable I have posted their statements in entirety below.
Amy from Amy Reads
Ahhh the portrayal of women in YA literature these days… Carin sure picked a topic that has been known to get me foaming at the mouth in the past. In fact, I’ve been accused of going on a witch hunt – so listen up, obviously I’ve got some fun things to say :D
Way back in the day when I first read Twilight, I thought (of Edward) huh, possessive jerk, but he does sound just so sexy. I love him anyway, so even though Bella really ought to stand up to him more, I’ll forgive him. I didn’t see it as a big deal. I mean, we expect that we and our peers, and those in the generations younger than us, know enough to not just say WOW! A possessive jerk who doesn’t let me have a life! I WANT THAT SO BAD! As if, right? We know better, we know that we deserve better, and we know how we should be treated. Right?
This year I’ve been reading [a lot] more young adult books than I usually have in the past, and more recently published books. In my reading, I’ve been noticing a disturbing trend. Most (if not all) of the young adult paranormal books that I read show unhealthy relationships, girls being forced into things and then deciding they like it so of course he should have pushed her. They show girls who at the age of sixteen to eighteen are saying they know who and what they want for the rest of their lives – based on these unhealthy relationships and rape situations.
Twilight was one book, now it’s seeming like it's all books. This, to me, is disturbing. The more often we see the same message, the more we internalize it. The more we internalize it, without realizing it, the more we come to accept this behavior as normal. Yes, we like to think we know better than to believe these things, but if we get it enough times it won’t matter because we’ll absorb the message anyway.
Believe me, I’ve been pushed when I didn’t want something. I did not thank him after, and I did not end up dating him, as so often happens in these books. But I had still internalized the message and didn’t get help for months because I thought it was normal and expected. I obviously should have known better, I'm accused of witch-hunting YA, so obviously I know it's wrong. Yet I still had issues believing that I was not to blame. (This is NOT an excuse for me, just highlighting how problematic these messages are for young and impressionable girls who don't read insane amounts of non-fiction on the subject as well.)
Fairy tales aren't always the most positive representations for women... but the thing with older fairy tales though is that they were quite often written BY men FOR men and were about keeping us women in our place. As female authors have been re-telling them, they quite often create stronger female characters and show the positivity in the situations. With the young adult paranormal books we are still stuck in the past, only we have women writing these disparaging situations for women. Shouldn't we want to build each other up?
The situations in these YA paranormal books are, in my opinion, often written they way they are because it is the quickest and easiest way to move forward. They are fighting? Well, don't have them talk it out respectfully, have him jump her and she will realize how much she loves him deep down and everything will get better. I refuse to give authors the pass anymore, so I will point it out.
One book isn’t a big deal, a constant barrage of the same unhealthy message certainly is.
Rachel from And the Plot Thickens
Recently Carin and I had a great conversation about the YA paranormal romance phenomenon that is sweeping the globe.
This is something that really interests and baffles me.
Firstly, as a high school English teacher, can I say that I am THRILLED to see kids reading. You would not believe the number of students who get to year 12 (that's about 17 years old) and have never read a book. I am serious. Never. How they get through their schooling is beyond me, let alone how they get through their LIFE... it's sad but true. So the fact that kids are reading makes me so happy. I just worry a little about about what they are reading.
Sure books like Shiver and Twilight are fun reads for adults and teens alike, but I really question the moral messages these books are sending kids. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the paranormal. When I was a teen I was addicted to Anne Rice and Poppy Z. Brite novels. I loved vampires. Obsessed? not really. But they were my favourite books to read.
Twilight, however, is different. Twilight has morphed into this oddly shaped monster that is devouring the minds and souls of women everywhere! Overly dramatic? Yup, totally. But with good justification. I am sure anyone who has been living and breathing for the past two years is just as sick of hearing about Twilight as I am. So besides my obvious distaste for this series due to it's hold over the mass media, what else do I see is wrong with it? Frankly, it sends a very bad message to teenage girls and Bella is a shockingly poor role model for impressionable teens.
Teenage girls, in general, are moody, dramatic and easily swayed. I know this because I was one, and because I teach them. Every little thing is the end of the world. If I move a girl away from her friend for talking while I am trying to teach, that is cue for tears and tantrums. They take dating very seriously and break ups... oh boy... It's a combination of world war three and a Joy Division song all rolled into one. So the fact that their role model is a girl their age, who has a dramatic break up then wants to die, worries me. The only reason she gets it back together is because of another guy. What sort of message is that sending?
Girls need a man in their life to look after them and pick up the pieces? That it is ok to partake in risky activities (suicidal activities) if your guy leaves you? That the best way to move on is to shack up with someone with ripped abs?
Bella is so depressed for the first half of New Moon that I wanted to throw myself through a window just to make it end (not to mention it was painfully boring). I can not imagine the reaction that obsessed teens would of had when reading this novel. The other problem I have with this novel, besides her reaction to her break up, is that Bella not only gives up her friendships, her individuality and her freedom for Edward, but she also gives up her life. Meyer is sending a message to teens that if you love a man (or vampire) you should give up everything that is a core part of yourself, to please them.
Edward is controlling and possessive. This is portrayed as romantic. What is romantic about being in a relationship with someone who abuses you? Who stops you seeing your friends? Who takes away your freedoms and then KILLS YOU? (or makes you undead, however you want to look at it). I am sorry but I must have missed a vital story arc here because I just can't get turned on by domestic violence.
I think it is so wrong to send a message like this to teenage girls. What happened to heroines who were intelligent, strong and fighting for good? Instead our teens are worshipping a woman who goes against everything feminists have been fighting for, for centuries! The suffragettes would be rolling in their graves...
Despite all that, I can forgive the teens for their love of these books. As I said earlier, teens are very impressionable and half of them are probably just reading them because they are popular. It is my hope that this will lead to them reading different books and finding a love of literature.
What really baffles me is that grown women obsess over these books. Now, I have nothing against adults reading YA. I read YA. Partly because I want to keep up to date with what is popular amongst teens (this helps me in my job) and partly because sometimes I need a quick and easy read. What I do not understand, however, is a 40 something year old woman borrowing her daughters Twilight books and 'falling in lust' with Edward or Jacob. Can you say EW! When Humbert Humbert got all lusty with Lolita it was considered wrong. It was pedophilia. It was disgusting. Yet when a grown woman has a poster of Jacob on her wall and has kinky thoughts about him, that's ok?
Also, as a teacher, it kind of disturbs me reading about teens having sex. Sure, they are usually of legal age (which is 16 in Australia) but when I am in the classroom surrounded by 16 year olds, all I can think of is how childlike they are.... because they ARE children. Just because you turn the legal age for consent, doesn't mean you automatically grow a brain or learn to think logically and rationally. Usually you don't. Those things come with time and experience. Sure you might get the ocassional mature 16 year old, as is often the case in a YA novel (they are always wise beyond their years) but despite that, I still can't find teens having sex romantic. Children having sex is not romantic. I don't understand how any adult can find it so. At least when teen girls lust over these characters it's normal because they are similar in age, they are having similar experiences (well, besides the vampire thing) and they can relate. I do not understand how a grow woman can relate to anything in these novels.
I just want to make it clear that I am not anti-sex in teen books. I think sex is an important issue and needs to be addressed. It's a natural part of life for teens and a good YA book should talk about it (so it's not taboo) but in a educational/responsible way. It should not glamorize sex, or make it 'a bad thing', just something that should be well thought out before you take that 'big step'. Making the decision to have sex takes emotional intelligence which a teen does not get just because they have turned 16. This is something that YA books seem to miss. Usually the character (and often the female) can't wait to be bedded and practically jumps the male! Although true for some teens, how about looking at why she feels so needy that sex seems like the best way to be close to her honey?. I'm all for a bit of a nakie romp but not because your parents neglect you and you want to feel loved. That does not send a good message.
So I just wanted to get that clear. I am not anti-sex. But I do have a problem with adult females (and males) lusting over teens who are shacking up. That is just gross.
Point is, paranormal romance does not send a good message to teenage girls and I really hope this all just a passing craze. It's time we started giving our teens (and adults) great books to read! Stories with strong, morally grounded heroines who take on the world and retain their individuality in the face of adversity! Who never stop fighting and live good,well-rounded lives. We need heroines who put education, achievement and being true to themselves before shacking up with a hottie.
Sadly, I just don't think that would sell.
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