New Moon Premiere - by Monica

I can just see Kristy rolling her eyes right now about this blog entry. Yes, it’s about New Moon. I stood in line for three hours last night to see it at midnight, and, if even possible, it surpassed my expectations. Now, about 14 hours after the movie ended and sleeping until 1p.m., I’m still wired. This is probably the first craze I’ve succumbed to – never getting into the Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or Star Wars sagas (much to my boyfriend's disappointment about not getting into Star Wars).

To tell you the truth, a book about vampires was the last thing I thought I would enjoy. But the thing, at least with me, that is so appealing about the Twilight series isn’t the vampires or the werewolves. It’s the hope it provides.

There’s a deeper meaning to the Twilight books than just the obvious.

It’s about overcoming your past and overcoming addictions, as this Post Secret (postsecret.blogspot.com) showed on Sunday:


Just because you’ve made mistakes in your past or because you have desires that you consider to be “bad” (as with Edward and, well, wanting to drink human blood), that doesn’t mean you can’t be more than that. The Twilight series shows that we are more than our circumstances. It shows that we can act on self-control instead of just our impulses.

It’s also that we shouldn't settle and that true love transcends time; it's a love that’s worth waiting 100+ years for. I know what many men think: Twilight is an unrealistic ideal for them to live up to. Sure, I don’t agree with girls searching for a drop dead (no pun intended) gorgeous vampire, because, sorry to break it to you, but that’s not gonna happen. But the personality of Edward is not unrealistic, and something that many people could learn from (minus the whole breaking up with Bella in the woods and sneaking into her bedroom window. Guys, I don’t advise these).

What women find fascinating about Edward is how he protects Bella. He’ll give up everything in order to protect her, in order to make her happy, even if it means leaving her. He doesn’t use mind games to get with her, as many girls have become accustomed to in their own dating experiences. He will even let her be with another man if it would make her happy. Because, to him, that’s his number one priority – her being happy. He doesn’t try to talk her into wanting him with corny pick-up lines. Instead, he lets her choose for herself.

And, he loves her for her. Even when she thinks she’s “not good enough” compared to him, he shows her that, to him, she’s perfect. And even if she’s old, grey, and wrinkly someday when he still has the body of a 17-year-old, he’ll still feel the same way.

A relationship that is worth more than physicality, a relationship where the other person’s happiness is more important than your own, and a relationship where you want to protect the other from harm – that’s not unrealistic. It's something we should strive for in our own relationships. And if these books show girls what they do deserve, I don't think that's "unrealistic" at all.

I interviewed Nicole McGuckin, 20, at the premiere last night for The Oakland Press. You can see the rest of the article in this Sunday’s paper.

McGuckin said, “Why would you not be Team Edward? He is the ultimate lover, boyfriend and hopeless romantic. It kinda gives girls hope that there is that guy out there for them. There is possibly that guy out there that could be hopelessly in love with you and want to love you for the rest of your life."

I would like to hear your thoughts. If you've read the books and/or watched the movies, comment and tell me: What does the Twilight series mean to you?