As if there weren’t enough teenage love stories circulating in the media in this day and age, a new series of books arrived in the U.S. in 2005. This series is none other than that of Twilight. In case you have not heard, this series is about a girl named Bella who falls in love with the “hot” and “seductive” Edward Cullen. Their romance is considered taboo, as Cullen is a vampire (comprising the repetitive and cliché theme of forbidden love). This series has swept the nation and girls and guys alike are reading the books at an exceeding rate. There has been a big controversy as to whether Twilight has been a good thing or a plague on society. I suppose the real question is: Has Twilight been a good influence on teenage culture? I believe that Twilight is detrimental and troublesome for the teens of today.
I have observed those who read these Twilight books before and after they do so, and the aftermath of the reading of these jaundiced pieces of literature is overwhelming. In short, this series need to go. When girls read these books, it’s as if they go crazy over this Edward Cullen guy. No matter how hard a parent tries to convince them otherwise, these chicks still marvel over him. They don’t even seem to realize that he doesn’t exist! This, of course, does not affect me directly, but it does hurt me and my fellow dudes in the long run. “Women of all ages are nuts about Edward [Cullen] for one reason: he’s a way better man than any of you are”, says Jenna Mann in her article Twilight’s Edward is the Perfect Man. These girls seem to idealize Edward as the perfect boyfriend, giving no hope to the guys who try to impress their girlfriends. Not only does it affect me, it also affects the girls who read these books severely. They begin to believe that they have a personal relationship with him. This tends to affect their relationships later in life. They do not realize not only does he not exist, but even if he did, they still would not know him or have their love for him reciprocated. It is truly horrible how these books have seemingly brainwashed these young girls.

There are others, namely 15-year-old girls, who would like to contradict these arguements . Some say that it’s cute, and others say its innocent. “This book is a cute love story…. Every generation had an obsession with a teen heath throb. Remember Elvis, the Beatles? Way more girls fell over themselves just to see the car they arrived in. This is no different”, claims a mother in a Teen Corner post on examiner.com. These insane girls claim that Twilight endorses Christian principles. Firstly, allow me to remind you that these are the same girls that practically worship a fictional character that will never exist. Secondly, these creatures in this book are vampires and vampires are clearly satanic creatures. Another excuse that these naysayers use that is that it promotes reading in a time that teenage reading is like sailing through the doldrums. This is true and the promotion of reading is always positive. However, does this series really have anything worth learning morally? I think not. Of course there is also the excuse in which they play the whole “Twilight is Christian” card again. Some claim that Twilight supports teenage abstinence, as Edward and Bella don’t have sex before they are married. This can easily be countered considering the reason of their chastity is because Edward, with his supernatural powers, could crush Bella if he were to lose control. In summary, this series of books is rotting the mind of teenagers around the globe and it needs to be stopped. I would like to conclude my counter-argument with a quote that needs no commentary; it basically sums up my case by revealing the crowd of which reads these impugning publications. “um, yea im CRAZY bout Edward Cullen but more crazy bout alice people don’t worry im a teen we’re all lyk dis after a while……….. never mind Edward will still be over loved for years or have u 4got there is 4 MOVIES. 4 all 4 movies come out will take a while you moms SHOULD try reading the saga its very interesting. i use 2 hate 2 read now i lyk it well only da TWILIGHT books, says “tiffany”, a commenter on a concerned mothers post on examiner.com.

This series of books needs to be gone. They should not be read by anyone because they are more of a burden than a helper. It has been shown that these girls that read the Twilight series are overcome with a craze that is dangerous and sometimes permanent. It is no longer up to the parents, friends or family of these frenzied girls that are overcome by the lure of Edward Cullen, but instead, it is their job the control themselves. They need to remove themselves from these books ASAP.