The wake-up scene was so horrible. I know the idea is that Edward is so strong and Bella is so weak. . .actually, that's really sexist in and of itself. The morning after comes off really badly: Bella enjoyed the sex so much (I guess?) that she didn't notice he'd torn off a piece of the headboard, bitten through pillows, and bruised the heck out of her. The behavior for both of them is thoroughly unbelievable. Sex doesn't work like that, and Smeyer should know better.

I considered the Twilight series one of my not-very-feminist guilty pleasures, so I was excited for the last book to come out. It was offensive on nearly every page. The physically abusive sex is really just the beginning. There's a fetus who claws its mother from the inside (seriously), racist descriptions of foreign vampires (for example calling a couple from Brazil "wild" and "uncivilized"), and in the end Bella lives happily ever after despite having no career, education, or life outside of Edward. I really worry about the expectations young girls are going to come away with after reading it.

nightingale:

"Sex doesn't work like that, and Smeyer should know better."

A qualifier, it's really not my "thing" (BDSM or anything like it), but the bruising thing, or "rough sex", does exist as a turn on for people of all gender and sexual orientations. Often from people whom you would be really shocked to learn were in to it. I've a female friend (completely non sexual, but we do talk about that sort of stuff) who has expressed to me that she basically "needs" (her words) to have it be rough, leaving bruises "anywhere buy on my face and neck". Now with her she states that it's a two-way street, meaning she does not want to get beaten up, but kind of wants to be in an approximation of a fight with a male lover. This woman does not identify as being part of any BDSM culture or lifestyle, and has indicated that her sexual interest is probably due to some really fucked up childhood trauma, nevertheless it is an important part of her adult sexuality. She is also very much a feminist and self-identifies as such.

Another woman I'm close to is a self described "pain slut". She is actively involved in the BDSM thing, and is considered a "switch" (someone who can be dominant or submissive), but it very much into caning and "breast torture". We were briefly involved sexually, but my flat out refusal to get any kinkier than a little bondage and fanny slapping put a short lifespan on the relationship.

A third woman that I know and am currently involved with in a FWB kind of deal is also really into the BDSM scene, but we're not exclusive so she does not really pressure me about doing that stuff, but she often asks me to pull her hair and has asked for some specific sexual acts because "well it dosen't get me off, but I find the posture puts me in a very submissive headspace" (really, her words).

I'm not commenting on the likelihood of the people in the book accurately portraying this kind of thing, I haven't read the book so I wouldn't know, but merely that this kind of thing is real and a lot of people to get off on it. Other than the one woman (first paragraph) who told me directly that she suspects trauma was a factor in shaping her sexuality I can only guess that it could be that this is often the case, but that does not make the activity a moral good or a moral bad even if it is so.

Again, just to be clear: This is not the kind of thing I'm in to. I'm a pretty "vanilla" guy, I don't even talk dirty (sex talk, that is. I cuss all the time). But I do think that when we talk about the world of sexual conduct it's important not to make comments or judgments that box in consenting behavior into the realm of the perverse or even to overly emphasize how exotic or bizarre it is, because there are really a lot of people who, for whatever reason, have their own unique sexual needs and who keep it a secret. When we talk about it I think we should avoid making them feel like freaks.

One of my friends reads the Twilight series, and she told me about the newest book one day when we were drinking coffee. That wake-up scene came across as really 'off' to her too, and she's 22 and really into the BDSM scene. I haven't read the book, so I really couldn't comment on my personal thoughts, but she seemed to think that the author wasn't in any way trying to imitate the BDSM scene, but that the author was instead just being horribly sexist and in her words "astonishingly gross" (I believe those are the words she used, exactly.)

On the other hand, what's been described here seems almost mild compared to some of the books I often hear my friends talking about (I tend to read non-fiction and it's usually aimed at university+ level readers so I don't really get my fair 'fix' of books aimed at teens or youth). My friends are often bringing up how disgusted they are when they're reading a book that seems excellent and powerful and almost empowering to women, and then right at the "good part" everything turns bad and the author decides to romanticize and glorify rape. And it's always rape in books aimed at young females and it's murder in books aimed at young males (this much I do know from when I used to read fiction).

I almost bought the first book to see if it was any good. I like horror, fantasy, and vampires. Then I did a little more research and it appears the series is basically a morbid, trashy "romance" stories. So I probably won't be actually reading the book...

Also, the quote you have of bruising my body is really gross. And this is coming from someone who has a thing for vampires and would be fine with sex scenes depicting being bitten and breaking headboards, but not so much the being beaten and bruised.

RiotGrrl: Off topic, but have you ever read "The Vampire Files" by P.N. Elrod?

It's kind of a noir style detective series about a vampire PI. It was directed at teen, so it's not really sexy at all, but it's a really good series and refreshingly free of a lot of the porny Ann Rice, and everyone who copies her, style that gets boring so fast.

I'll have to look into that. Thanks Logrus.

I am into the BDSM scene. I have not read the Twilight series, nor do I wish to.

The idea of that scene still seems a little creepy to me though. Especially since in BDSM scenes, the sub typically is actually more in control than the Dom.

While I agree that the wake up scene was very disturbing, what is being overlooked is the response of the lead male once he saw what had occurred. It was at the woman's insistence that they initiated a sexual relationship in the first place, following numerous warnings by the lead male about the potential for her to get hurt. Following the "wake up scene," the male feels horrible and refuses to have sex due to the risk to her health. The situation was not one of BDSM, but just one in which the man had a superhuman strength and was less able to control this strength during sex. I think most members of the feministing community can understand getting a little carried away during sex.
Additionally, the Brazilian couple was not being called wild and uncivilized because they were from Brazil, but because they lived as Amazons, in the rainforest away from civilization. It was not a racist comment, but one based on their chosen livelihood and attitudes.
Finally, the fetus clawing its way out of the womb did not occur when the fetus was concieved in an un-parasitic manner. Only in instances without proper medical equipment did the fetus leave the mother's body in this manner.
I'm not saying that the books are a perfect feminist series, but many of the concerns have been misconstrued or removed from their context in the plot of the book. I do not feel that the teenage girls who read these books are recieving negative messages. The weakness of the lead female, Bella, that is continually mentioned as a concern is due to her humanity, not her gender. There are many physically strong female characters throughout the books and Bella joins them once she no longer is a weak human. Throughout the books, Bella stands up for herself, except for a few parts in the second book. Sorry to continue on and on, I just feel like these issues have been blown out of proportion.