Twilight Tuesday 6 "Beauty"

Beauty is rampant throughout the Twilight series.  The vampires are beautiful.  Bella is beautiful.  The scenery is beautiful.  The average classmates are even pretty good-looking.  It isn’t the beauty that holds your attention though.  Bella is amazingly unaware of how distinctly feminine she is; this makes her even more attractive.  She is somewhat plain in looks with nice hair and eyes, hides in her clothing rather than showing off her figure, abhors a fuss being made over her, thoughtful of others, quick to forgive, and endearingly clumsy.  She gets a bit whiney, I’ll grant you that, but no one is perfect. 

Bella’s beauty almost seems to come from within more than from without.  She is a blank canvas for girls to paint themselves into the story.  Edward is drawn to her initially for her scent and the intrigue of not being able to read her mind.  Jacob is at first attracted to her looks but falls in love with healing her broken heart.  Bella is quiet, shy, and humble; qualities women know are attractive and wish we emulated more.  And it certainly is nice to have a heroine with no eating disorders, or obsessions with looks and fashion. 

But have you noticed how often young girls are angry at Bella?  Have you seen the forums where women of all ages talk about killing Bella in order to free Edward up?  Our daughters might connect with Bella’s plain-Jane beauty, but they are passionately unforgiving of her for it as well.  They ridicule her for an unrealistic denial of her own power.  Our daughters know that if the world was as aware of their beauty as Bella’s world obviously is of hers; they would see that and take joy in it, not hide from it.  They don’t just want to super-impose themselves onto Bella’s character.  It isn’t enough to simply replace her in the story.  Bella needs to be taken down a peg or two in the process.

Bella does not work at being beautiful.  She doesn’t pay for an expensive perfume that drives Edward crazy (quite literally), she just happens to smell that way naturally.  Bella’s physical beauty is effortless.  Her beauty also does not have much to do with sex appeal.  Gotta say…I love that aspect.  Bella’s attempts to be “sexy” are described in an almost comical fashion despite the fact they do appear to work as intended.

Bella could use her beauty as a source of power over others, like that popular human boy old-what’s-his-name.  She does not capitalize on her beauty and in fact seems to be embarrassed by it.  Bella’s beauty does put limits on her having female companions, but as a loner, Bella doesn’t seem to overly mind this. 

In all, Bella is a whiney, feminine, unaware, natural beauty.  Sounds like a stereo-typical teenage girl.

Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear: Forget your people and your father’s house.  The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.     Psalm 45: 10,11

Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.  So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.    Ezekiel 28:17 (emphasis mine)