The book series turned movie franchise, the Twilight Saga, has long since been reviled by teenagers and adults alike for being a symbol of cringe culture online. It has been rightfully called out for its reinforcement of normative gender roles, its treatment of Native Americans and a blatant lack of autonomy given to its female protagonist. However, the first Twilight movie in particular, participated in a counterintuitive cultural moment in online history.
The first Twilight movie was the cornerstone of queer art back in 2008 and during its renaissance in 2020. The film hinges on a heterosexual romance, but the characters are queer coded in such a way that every marginalised teenager could relate to in the high school setting. Bella's character in the books may have fulfilled the "not like other girls" trope with her disregard for makeup and designer clothes, with her lack of social abilities, however the way that Kristen Stewart lived her, imbued her with this inherent awkwardness and standoffishness that truly embodied the experience of someone who cannot fit in, not matter how much she tried. Edward in the novel was the textbook heartthrob with vampiric powers and sparkling skin to boo, but Robert Pattinson understood his off putting intensity and one track mind enough to portray it in kind. these characters were made to be glossy and perfect, but what the movie brought out was raw and real and at times off putting, which made the media mainstream enough to get a franchise deal, but still fit into niche subcultures on the internet. Queer teens especially latched onto the, for the lack of a better word, "weirdness" of it all and related to being treated oddly in school, simply for existing as they were.
The film itself has been shot with a consistent blue tone over every scene, plunging it into an aesthetic heaven of muted blues and greens, the overall effect heretofore unseen in films of the time. It produces this constant melancholia that queer teens feel trapped in high school without reprieve from the heteronormative cultural narrative.
The soundtrack of the film is made up of artists and bands that were far from the mainstream at the time, artists that queer teens gravitated towards as they did not peddle heteronormativity in the same way that pop music of the time did. This help set the movie apart from its contemporaries and became so iconic in the online sphere that was mostly populated by alternative, queer and self proclaimed nerds at the time.
Therefore, the first Twilight film became started a counterintuitive cultural phenomenon by becoming a central piece of media for queer teens back in 2008, participating in a tumblr renaissance and becoming a comfort movie for the queer teens on the forum, despite its messaging and content opposing everything those teens stood for. By this analysis, I posit that one cannot pigeonhole queer media into palatable pieces chock full of "correct" queer representation like the show Heartstopper. Although important in the cultural fold, these sanitised shows do not accurately represent online queer culture as queerness has always aligned itself to what is different, unsanitised and uncensored, therefore found their niche in Twilight.
It's interesting to think about how the Twilight movies, despite criticism for promoting traditional gender roles and not giving its female lead much independence, found a following among queer teenagers. The film's look, with its consistent use of blue tones, resonated with the feeling of loneliness that many queer youth experience in environments that expect everyone to be straight. The characters in the movie were not openly queer, but they were portrayed in ways that many queer teens could relate to, especially those who felt like outsiders in their schools. This shows how media that seems mainstream at first can still connect with smaller groups like queer communities online. It challenges the idea that queer media always has to show…
Unexpectedly, the Twilight Saga—which was frequently criticised for upholding conventional norms—became a symbol of queer art and alternative culture, particularly for marginalised youth. The film's gloomy style and queer-coded characters resonated powerfully across internet subcultures despite its mainstream narrative, providing a raw portrayal that defied traditional assumptions. This surprising parallel with the lives of LGBT youth challenges the idea that queer media has to adhere to sanitised depictions by showing how cultural relevance can extend beyond original intentions. The enduring influence of Twilight on queer culture on the internet highlights the multifaceted and varied ways that LGBTQ+ identities are portrayed in the media, demonstrating how relatability and authenticity may frequently arise from unlikely places.
yes i do agree that the film and the books all have their problems, especially the glaring one of class and race with the native americans being portrayed as literal animals and the graceful humanistic vampire being the white man. however, twilight is a nuanced piece that could only work in the early 2000s that it was released in and changed internet queer discourse of that time but would not hold up to scrutiny today
This was such an interesting and amazing read. A much-needed perspective to the movie most of us have seen. I remember always being frustrated with the “not like other girls” trope but your blog really puts into perspective the idea that the same media can be interpreted in so many ways and does not necessarily only give power to those producing it. The film's impact on queer teens, despite its ostensibly heterosexual romance, speaks to the nuanced ways in which media can resonate with marginalized communities. The idea, we've discussed in class, is that production is such an important part, and the thought that goes into those decisions is made apparent by the coloring chosen for the film. The film's…
I personally watched Twilight as a kid, and as I grew up found it too cringey to watch again. I have never thought about it from a queer representation angle, and really liked your analysis on the matter. It seems that as time has passed even the actors of the movie have claimed it was embarrassing and not their best work, but the fact is the franchise did incredibly well. Linking this to the conversations we had in class regarding readings on fanfiction, we talked about why the trope of romance is so popular yet looked down upon. By making Bella a 'quirky' girl and having her find the perfect man, I feel that this movie doing so well is…