Netflix just announced an animated adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight: Midnight Sun. Watch this video beforehand.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
One Scene for Forgiveness: 5:50
The Actors: 19:05
The Author: 21:17
The Racism: 31:35
BUY ME A KO-FI: https://ko-fi.com/alinahdee
Shirt: https://www.thentvs.com/shop
Earrings:
https://www.instagram.com/indi_city/?hl=en
https://celdzinbeadwork.com/
HELP MOVE THE QUILUETE TRIBE TO HIGHER GROUND:
https://mthg.org/
BURKE MUSEUM: The truth vs. Twilight : https://www.burkemuseum.org/static/truth_vs_twilight/
LAMANITE TRUTH: https://lamanitetruth.com/2018/09/14/the-indian-placement-program-with-the-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints/
RECLAIMING TWO SPIRITS: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/691080/reclaiming-two-spirits-by-gregory-d-smithers/
In this video there are excerpts from several sources and websites and I encourage you to pause the video and take the time to read them for yourselves.
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This video took a very, very long time for me to make. So many life events happened back to back to back that I was afraid I would never finish it. Even when I wrote out the script, there were many rewrites and omissions as this project evolved and changed. I cannot thank everyone enough for their patience and their support but I would love to give a very special heartfelt shout out to:
Vivian Strange
Atom Fellows
Jenn DeCicco
Jade Louise
FangirlJeanne
Glenda Brown
StitchMediaMix
Goliath / Aonghus
Nah Juh on Tiktok
Sara Arr
Ren the Barbarian
Kyle Kallgren
FilmCriticMaybe
3WorldMiss
Lesbasfondmusic
Oddnon
Yennik
Jess Murwin
Tuigana
Neechees
Sara the Fat Culture Critic
DanDanTransient
ScriptorZach
Marilyn Thomas
See Emily Play cover by @atomfellows
Last minute editing / sound balancing / thumbnail by @vivianstrange
Inspired by the ONE SCENE prompts by @Sara_TheFatCultureCritic
Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright At 1976, allowance is made for ‘fair use’ for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research.
[music is skipping for some reason? i don’t know what to do about it anymore and i’m out of spoons. apologies]
source
The older i get the more i learn and the more disgusted i am with that woman
I always found the wolves to be the more compelling of the supernatural characters and every 'fix' for them ive read by a native person just makes them more and more compelling (genuinely a twilight redo spearheaded by bipoc would work a million times better then every other redo ive seen by white people(they only ever focus on the vampires🙄😔))
Very good video, thank you for making and sharing it
I'm an aussie, passing white but with indigenious australian in me, and I relate so much to the feeling of relating more to anger than to the passive peaceful sterotype… like, it's refreshing to see it. It is almost healing in a weird way. An Elder I loved dealt with her anger with humor and I use that a lot now. I didn't know your lot had the horrors of stolen children as well … the fucking audacity of it and for Twilight to just throw em in there for fun without thinking.
Thank you for this video. YouTube did something right and I got this on my recommended.
As a Latin American woman, I read Twilight as a joke, because it was inescapable when I was a tween. The racism and pdfilia on the book always angered me more than anything else. Leah was my favorite character, and I always felt bad for her since it was very clear the author was a POS.
Years later, it didn’t surprise me to see a twilight renaissance, the same white girls obsessed with twilight when we were young were now women, defending a bad story on the guise of “feminism”.
I am disappointed by every big breadtuber who has made a revisionist video on Twilight, because you are right. It pisses me off that the people with the biggest platforms doing media analysis are white, because they are ignorant or purposefully deaf about these issues. Racism is inescapable in most big fandoms but the Twilight fandom has always been incredibly racist, homophobic and classist.
I have a question about the Barbie Movie comment about smallpox:
America Ferrera is of Honduran descent and claims to have Lenca ancestry. The first smallpox outbreak in the Americas began among the indigenous peoples in Hispaniola and Mexico. I can certainly understand concerns about the flippancy of such a remark in context, but with regards to representation, is she an invalid representative for making such a remark?
This video is fantastic and very educational, thank you
One of the just, really awful bits of imagery was how Jacob getting involved with the wolf gang also involved him cutting his hair short, which is then portrayed as an element of him embracing what is supposed to be the important part of his indigenous culture, being a wolf.
I'm really glad to see this pop up and I'm going to watch through your channel, really appreciate hearing a native American perspective. I would love to hear your thoughts about Echo, which I saw you used a clip from. The show was largely framed around Choctaw experience, but I knew from when she was cast in Hawkeye that Alaqua Cox was Menominee, and I recognised a few of the other cast members as being First Nations Canadian from some Canadian shows. In the original series Maya was Cheyenne, but changing to fit a community you can better represent made sense to me. That said, I was wondering what your perspective was on a series that is meant to represent a Choctaw community casting a lot of other indigenous actors from the US and Canada? Definitely a lot better than Taylor Lautner or not getting a major Disney show exploring an indigenous experience, but it struck an odd chord with me as flattening Choctaw culture into broader native American.
Thank you for the time and effort you have put into this, I will be watching it a couple times more to really let the information sink in. I always wondered how bad the anti native-american racism in the franchise really was, and now I have a much better understanding of it. It was bad. Coming face to face with my own ignorance and being called out in this video is uncomfortable but necessary and I'm grateful you were unapologetic, stern and to the point ❤ You've given me ( and many people I think) valuable insights into all of this, so again, thank you.
Thank you SO much for making this video! I used to be in the Twilight fandom on Tumblr and I was amongst the people who wanted to "fix" it by rewriting it, redesigning it, etc. Because I liked the rainy-foggy-town-full-of-supernatural-creatures vibe and wanted something better to be built with this vibe. But as time went on and I kept finding out more about the horrifying racism in this franchise, I came to realize that it was absolutely impossible to "fix" Twilight without essentially creating something new. So, why not just do that instead?
Because, when you really think about it, if you remove the insidious racism, the misogyny, if you add more diversity to the main characters and remove the abuse apologism and all the other creepy stuff, what really is left of this series? And while I love how creative and skilled people are with their fanart, headcanons and fanfics, I think it's about dang time that we leave this franchise behind and create something new that's actually worth it. Many of these fanfic writers are so talented and I think that their skills deserve to go to other works or original stories rather than this mess of a series. I've read a few fanfictions who could and should have been the supernatural romance series that should have gotten the praise and fame.
Some of them had the vampires actually be interesting because they had weaknesses (vulnerability to sunlight, inability to enter an inhabited building without being invited in first, etc.) and were not "beautiful". Others had European druids that could shapeshift essentially being what the Native characters were to the canon series (except that they were still written in a respectful way and the vampires' bad deeds or the way they treated them was never excused or romanticized). And, while I'm not sure wether it's better to not have Indigenous characters rather than bad representation (and I can't speak on it because I'm not Indigenous), I felt like it was better than what Meyer did with her racist depiction of the Quileutes and it would fit very well in an original story!
Thank you for pointing out the incorrect use of the term "imprinting" in those books/movies. On a related note, i remember seeing eclipse in theaters when i was 12 with a bunch of other teens. When it got to the "epic battle" scene, everyone in the theater (myself included) started laughing because of how dumb it was.
Well done video! Your research is stellar. If you need a palette cleanser from Meyer’s work, I’d suggest Rebecca Roanhorse’s Between Earth and Sky trilogy. It’s like if Game of Thrones had a 95% indigenous cast, and had more magic.
Also just a nice break from reality, as in Roanhorse’s world, no form of colonization ever happened.
I’m from a very white area in England, and read these books as a young teen. I had no background and none of this resonated with me at the time I read the novels… but woah. This video has completely changed my view of the whole series. I’m appalled.
Incredible video essay. I’ll be sharing this around.
Edit: just finished the video and the conclusion is literally this ^ but better said.
Thanks for speaking truth
ok great video but you cannot just drop that matoc nation reference and just leave that i need to learn MORE about this cursed shit
i used to follow Lindsay Ellis for a loooong time, and when she put up her "Sorry Stephanie Meyers" video i was like "oh, did Stephanie Meyers apologized and owned up to her mistakes?"
i was so disappointed and flabbergasted when Lindsay Ellis basically said was "yeah it's trash but it's fun trash so its okay, stop hating teenage girl stuff", and then Sarah Z said basically the same thing and my disappointment only grew
All my knowledge of that franchise came from social media since I've never rngaged with it myself and I had straightup never heard of Emily, I'm a bit speechless honestly, I've known she fcked up the native american depiction but waht the abolute hell
Bookish Realm’s video did a lot to help me see how racist the Twilight series (& Meyer herself) were racist to indigenous people, black people, & Mexican people in her book (and later in how she resisted casting POC in the movie role). Your video has shown me a lot too, & I thank you very much ❤❤❤
36:40 yup them and the Moors! Fell on deaf, dirty ears. Now that idea has passed down & most white people don’t wash their legs, kids, or their bodies on a daily or regular basis 😅
Thank you as well for discussing the gross implication that enslaved black women were too “seductive” & not just being SA’d by white slave owning men & white racist men.
I also want to add that when you spoke about the very real fear of speaking out about against men who are domestic abusers in communities of color for fear that the police will Klll them them and let the community may view that as a betrayal of the race, know that black women can definitely resonate with that sentiment because in the case of police brutality there are black women who are afraid to call police on black men who attack them because racially they don't want to have black men hurt as they are usually hurt and targeted but at the same time black women don't deserve being attacked by any man let alone a black man of their own community and feeling obligated to keep it hush hush because he doesn't deserve a racial attack, Women don't deserve misogynist attacks either from the hands of any man of their race or of any other race and they are not traitors for calling them out.
Thank you so much for this video It was so well done and I can tell you put a lot of work and heart into it This is an excellent video essay Thank you so much for showing all the examples and I did not realize these things as I watch the movie because I was so hyper focused on Jacob's hotness or whatever because I was a silly young adult.
But I will say one of the things that did strike me was definitely when sweet kind Alice called him a dog and was so disgusted by the smell of him not even just the presence and I was like wow this is really part of her character She really changed up when Jacob was around and there was this ugly side of her and I definitely side-eyed Jasper because I was like are we supposed to ignore or still like Jasper as Bella's family and his being a Confederate soldier is a footnote like dude He supports slavery is anyone going to say something whoa!
And when you use the example of avatar which is visually stunning I remember seeing it and thinking why the heck is she forgiving him after her whole home was attacked and people died because of him that doesn't make any logical sense The heartbreaks she and third he should be grateful that he wasn't caved by them in retaliation and they'd have every right to do so. And it was well to me that the community embraced them afterwards anyway Like it was already too much to accept that she would but then everything was let bygones be bygones by the entire Navi community? What in the world???? Not to mention always having to see stories of people of color being oppressed in these alien allegories is irritating and disrespectful because I'm looking at the Navi and thinking this isn't some dystopian future These are based on real stories about real people and it's not fantasy. For some reason people can look at these blue aliens and feel sympathy but when it actually happens to real humans who have melanated skin, There is little to no heart for them If not cheers for them to be taken out.
And we need proper education schools about what happened to indigenous people. There is sympathy that could be had but when people don't know where can the sympathy come from? Like it is true that we learn that the land was taken from them very briefly like it's a footnote but we don't hear about the schools who tortured these children and kidnap them. We don't learn about the evils that the Catholic Church did to these children and the abuses they suffered. There are people who don't even realize that indigenous people still exist.
Notice how Leah never accidentally kills anyone
Great video. It was very well-made, in depth, and eye-opening.
I tried to get into Twilight back in 2011 and just couldn't. Bella was so boring
Thank you so much for making this video. I was nearly sobbing the whole time you were speaking.
I'm so glad i found this video!!
I was not very impressed with all the creators who suddenly decided to defend that awful series and author. Are there people who criticize media that they haven’t engaged with and know nothing about because teen girls like it and they think everything teen girls like must be stupid? Sure.
But is Twilight racist, sexist, misogynistic, and a story about a teen girl choosing which of the abusive older than her by more than a hundred years groomers she should jump into marriage with the moment she’s old enough to legally consent? Yes. Yes it is.
Both of those things can be true at once.
I love how exmormons and many marginalized are coming after this series!
I had forgotten just how many things were wrong with this series, a decade and change later I mostly just remembered being scared as hell some girls I knew that were fans would end up with abusive scumbags after being influenced by the book's idea of what was 'romantic'.
I was shook when I found out Iron Eyes Cody was actually Sicilian 😩
Well, they do turn into wolves and dogs are just wolves that have been domesticated. So it KIND of makes sense. Still it is racist.
thank you for making this incredible video. i hope to see even more perspectives like yours in all media, and thank you for highlighting all these things that have gone overlooked and minimized and consequently perpetuated.
I never/read watched Twilight but I heard a lot about the misogyny. And you're right – I never heard about the racism even the ones that clearly intersect with the misogyny and would make that point even stronger. I didn't even know all the werewolves were native cause really only jacob gets screen time in the trailers. Thanks for making this- it was really interesting/informative.
Fantastic video! So glad the algorithm gods got it right with this one! And I just wanna start by saying – GET HER, CUZ – GET HER.
I'm Eastern Cherokee, and my god, the supernova level tirades I've gone on about Twilight and it's "representation" could count as a doctorate thesis, it's so long. You hit on so many things I've been pointing out for years, and I love love love to hear it. And I loved your take on Leah Clearwater, and how she literally fits the bill for being 2Spirit. I'm Asegi 2Spirit myself, and never even thought of her that way. It's such a colonized way of thinking to look down on and cast out people who are different. Native communities have always accepted and celebrated diverse viewpoints – we don't shame those that walk different paths, we ask them to help us understand how they navigated that path so we can learn to walk with them. Man, I could write another thesis just praising your takes, thanks for doing this! 1000/10, will recommend to everyone I know.
Also, mildly shameless plug, I'm about to publish the first few chapters of my graphic novel that's literally about the Mormon trafficking of indigenous children. Because these stories NEED to be told, and I'm tired of it not happening. Be the change, right? It's called The Glass, and you should like – totally check it out October 1st. Eerily timed that I saw this video so close to my publication!
ngl i didn't notice any of this. i was too focused on the child grooming. this woman is a problem.
Oh, Ali, this came out so beautifully. I'm so happy for you, and so sad that it needs to be said.
Also, Deer Lady series when?
36:36 ???
Fictional Characters who are female always get the short end of the stick. They are not given a chance to be more than a rival to another female, love interest to a hero, Damsel needing saving, eye candy, support, the jilted lover, etc. These roles are given to white women. The roles of non-white women…I Do not have the time to type all my thoughts on that now. But really I do not have to say anything.
Never watched or read Twighlight, but have seen deep dives that do not mention any of this. You are doing important work!
Thank you for this video first of all! Lately the Youtube’s algorithm has been blessing me with real gems especially since I always disliked twilight and I did not buy into the revival and never will. Now I have a better understanding and a better picture of how horrid it actually was. Horrid is an understatement, I don’t think I can express enough how before I disliked it but now it’s a deep disgust. This video came to confirm all of my prior icks about the books, movies and author. It’s not just about silly teenage book it’s about a real life genocide and how the oppression is still ongoing. Again, thank you for this video.
33:02 Laurent is white in the book.
I heard twilight is getting a new animated series…. im not holding my breath about it being less racist
I used to be a fan of the books when i was a teen but looking back as a fully developed adult, these books are awful and give me the ick.
Growing up, I always heard women. We’re at the mercy of their ego, love, ideal, and lust.
15:18 felt relatable as this is also an issue in my own community. I always hated how Emily and Leah were treated in the books and hated Sam in particular. His abusiveness was basically normalized by their tribe and it made me question how often the native women were abused for everyone to be so nonplussed by it.
This was excellent! Twilight was after my time so I never watched it but my nieces loved them. However, I don’t know that they realise how racist and highly problematic the material truly is. This was eye opening for me and I will be sharing the video with them. Great essay!
I always hated Twilight. My mom bought me the book but I never read it. When the movie trailer came out, I was intrigued by the deep mystery and intricate romance that I created in my head from what wasn't being shown to me. I only ever heard of the plot of the books from reviews of it and was turned off by it. Some of them were intricate detailed breakdowns with chapter-by-chapter step-by-step sometimes even line-by-line reactions and running commentary on how awful the books were. But this was the era of a larger internet village, and these blog posts and indie movie review websites never got a lot of traction because they weren't large platforms. But I remember feeling pretty weird about Leah and Emily.
It wasn't until years later with youtube a lot of people did break down Leah and Emily in their criticisms of Twilight. I'm Canadian, rural even, and I don't have the most intricate knowledge of our history of native treatment, let alone American treatment. I was much more of a person who was interested in learning everything about native culture as a child. I was in love with the stories and creative weaves, woodwork, the utility of use, respect for nature, just everything. But I moved away from it as I got older and gained an awareness this culture I loved wasn't mine and that I was encouraged not to see as mine – to not respect it because of that. So now my knowledge is much less and I'm a sadder person for it. But even then, from what little I retained of the knowledge I had when I was little, what I heard about Twilight was so off to me, so strange and fake and foreign. I didn't have the understanding to know why though, it was just buried deep in the recesses of my scant memories as instinct. Maybe if I knew more, I'd have talked about it more in my own offline or private criticisms.
But I knew I didn't want to read or watch Twilight to see how bad it was. I couldn't get through 20 minutes of the film. But this video was very enlightening at just how (perhaps unconsciously, but let's be real here) malicious the writing is and how these seemingly innocuous events can be seen as hostile and hatred in ways I wouldn't have known partially because I always had the proclivity to admire, celebrate and elevate rather than focus on negativity.
But I do get the frustration with the backlash to people who criticized the film. I get told I'm misogynistic for disliking it. That I just hate teen girls and can't let them enjoy things. Despite the fact that I was a teenage girl when it came out and I could tell it wouldn't be good. But because I'm a woman with a dissenting opinion, or a negative opinion on something that's been popular, I get shut down. It's amazing how easy it is for people to belittle and be sexist to you if you aren't the correct kind of woman with the correct opinions.