Twilight Week: What’s the Appeal of Isabella Swann?

I will, somewhat reluctantly, admit to being a “Twilight” fan.

I will, somewhat ashamedly, admit that I have probably listened to the “Twilight” movies for background noise while working somewhere near, oh hell, sixty times.

Sixty.  Maybe more.  It’s not like I have a scorecard for this stuff.  Don’t even bother asking me how many times I’ve used the Harry Potter movies for my working soundtrack.  Or “Elvira”.  Seriously.

I know that these movies are so overhyped that it makes the rest of the world near homicidal.  I know that we mentally put the franchise’s fans alongside furries, “Rocky Horror Show” performers, and Gleetards.

The merchandise that has been produced for this movie is somewhat scary at times.  The Edward silhouette, for instance.  You, too, can have the famous self-loathing bloodsucker (no, not Louis from “Interview with a Vampire”) watching over you while you sleep.  That’s not creepy at all, no sir.

As much as so many of us cringe, myself included, at the shrieking fans, the ridiculous merchandise, and the movies themselves, something about them makes millions of girls worldwide absolutely rapt.  As of this time last year, the first movie alone sold over 10.5 million units.  That’s a decent amount of zeroes.

What is it about this movie that caused it to become such a phenomenon throughout the female population?  Why are these girls of all ages so willing to buy any merchandise that might possibly be associated with the Twilight franchise?  Sure, Robert Pattison/Edward is considered a “dreamboat” by many, but it takes more than just a hot male lead to pull a movie this high.

Girls love this movie, and it isn’t just the romance, the sparkly chests, and the sharp white teeth.  It isn’t the acting which, while not bad, certainly isn’t Oscar quality, nor is it the mostly stellar soundtrack.

There is a personal connection that these girls are making with this movie, one that gets so deep into them that they begin to view this movie as integral to their self-concept.  They buy the clothes to dress like the characters, they search for their own personal Edward, and get large and elaborate tattoos.

This is a lifetime commitment for them.  But why?

It’s not because of Edward at all, it’s because of Bella.

Isabella “Bella” Marie Swan, the seventeen year-old high school junior.  In the books she’s physically nondescript and, in the movie, she’s average-looking.  The director of the first film, Catherine Hardwicke, certainly did not attempt to make Kristin Stewart the class beauty.  Her make-up is near nonexistent– Robert Pattinson wears more lipstick that she does, and her wardrobe is murky at best with jeans, flannel, and various bulky jackets.  Her ugly orange truck fits right in with her style with dents and scratches decorating its hull.  

While it would be kind to say that she isn’t very social, it would be more accurate to say that she’s socially awkward.  She’s withdrawn and hesistant, she stutters.  She’s not atheletic and prone to what I call, in my own life, “acts of klutzery”… it means she falls over and drops things a lot, though usually not at the same time.  

Among her girlfriends, she’s the sexless one.  There’s no drop of femininity in her, at least in the first movie.  She doesn’t want to shop with them, she’s never interested in boys (until she meets Edward, of course), she can’t dance, and she’s much more concerned with studying.  She’s not really good at anything but homework.

So what do you have for the sum of this equation?  A socially awkward, plain-faced girl in unflattering clothing who doesn’t really fit in at her school, isn’t good at sports, and doesn’t care about “normal” girly things like the *gasp* the big school dance… but she’s smart.

This describes my high school experience perfectly and, from fan reaction, I’d assume the high school experience of hundreds of thousands of other girls.

A lot of us blur high school in our minds.  It becomes that place where our worries, looking back, were so minimal.  Things that stressed us don’t compare to our current daily struggle.  Most harassment, feelings of exclusion, and awkwardness is eventually forgotten or repressed.

But many of the “Twilight” fans are still in that stage of their life, or were when the movie released.  Some of the “Twilight” fans may be far out of high school but never quite got over their teenage experiences– some things never really leave us.

So think of the typical glorifying high school movie that was intended for girls.  For my age group, it was films along the lines of “She’s All That” and “Cruel Intentions”. I know that, during the last decade, Disney has cornered the market on the female-focused high school movie by creating things like “High School Musical” and “A Cinderella Story”.  

While these movies had awkward characters in them, those characters always ended up being accepted by the “popular” sphere.  How?  They transform.

“She’s All That” – Magical transformation from angry art chick to campus hottie due to bet between two popular males.

“Cruel Intentions” – Magical transformation from slightly retarded and sexless prep school girl to poised, sexy student due to bet between main characters. 

“High School Musical” – Not so magical transformation of already majorly beautiful and well-dressed nerd due to singing ability and star basketball player’s interest.

“A Cinderella Story” – Magical transformation from broke waitress to loaded valley girl while being romanced by star quarterback.

Now look at “Twilight”.  Even with the dance at the end, when Bella comes down the stairs in her dress– a major point in any high school movie, she’s wearing a somewhat passable dress, leggings, a bulky cast on one leg, and a Converse sneaker on the other.  Make-up?  Still not really there.

There’s no transformation.  The friends she made before she met Edward are still her friends, her clothing and lack of make-up are still the same, and she’s still hovering at about the same status level that she was at before.  And unlike in “She’s All That”, Edward wanted her as she was when they first met.

Let’s lift that chunk, shall we?  “Edward wanted her as she was.”

Isabella “Bella” Marie Swan was wanted for who she was.  She didn’t have to undergo a radical make-over and wardrobe overhaul.  She didn’t have to perform in a talent show to show what an amazing singer she was or find a lost inheritance.  She was desirable as the socially awkward, average-looking girl with no real talents other than getting a decent grade in biology.

That’s what these girls are looking for, that’s what they’re fantasizing about: a man who wants them as they are.

Of course, if he’s perfect looking and glitters in the sun, that helps too.