Why the internet (and Gen Z) is still obsessed with Twilight, two decades on
- Written by: Ashleigh Prosser, Lecturer in Professional Learning, Murdoch University
Saturday marked the 20th anniversary of the publication of Twilight, the first book in Stephanie Meyer’s teen vampire romance saga published between 2005 and 2020.
It has also been almost 20 years since Kristen Stewart’s awkward “plain girl” Bella and Robert Pattinson’s century-old glittery Edward appeared in the first movie.
The film Twilight (2008) grossed more than US$407 million (about A$539 million at the time) worldwide during its theatrical release. It is often credited with launching the careers of Stewart and Pattinson.
Full of awkward dialogue, melodramatic acting and absurd scenes like the iconic vampire family-bonding baseball game, Twilight has earned cult status. Akin to Tommy Wiseau’s bizarre flop-turned-mock-hit The Room (2003), it is “so bad it’s actually good”.
The franchise has amassed a dedicated fandom of “Twihards”, including some surprisingly young fans who, two decades on, won’t let it fade from the cultural consciousness.
The Twilight renaissance
Meyer’s Twilight books sired a growing brood of 2000s teen vampire romance novels, including L. J. Smith’s The Vampire Diaries series (2009–17) and Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series (2007–10).
The COVID pandemic also ushered in the revival of the romantasy genre on #BookTok, TikTok’s sub-community for bibliophiles. BookTok greatly resurrected our collective nostalgia for paranormal romances, and this is useful context for understanding the “Twilight renaissance” of recent years.
The most obvious sign of the Twilight franchise’s ongoing popularity is the non-stop parade of memes on social media, spoofing everything from the characters, to the plot, to the acting, to continuity errors and low-budget visual effects.
Celebrating cringe
The term “meme” was coined by biologist Richard Dawkins in 1976 to describe “a unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of imitation”.
Since the advent of social media, the term has been used to describe pieces of online media that are circulated and transformed via networks of users.
Across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, Twihards create and share daily Twilight-themed content on their own accounts, and on dedicated fan accounts. Twilight memes range in complexity, from simple screenshots to fully costumed reenactments.
In the 2009 film sequel, Twilight: New Moon, the teen-werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner) runs grinning towards Bella, exclaiming: “Bella, where the hell have you been, loca?”. This bizarre line and its delivery inadvertently created one of the most popular Twilight memes of all time. Even the actors have got onboard with poking fun at the franchise’s unintentionally goofy moments.
In his book Pragmatics of Internet Humour, professor of English Francisco Yus explores how humour is a key element of online meme culture, as shared knowledge and in-jokes help build a sense of connection and community among users.
This is certainly the case with Twilight; the most popular posts among fans are the spoofs and parodies that lovingly poke fun at its cringiness. Content creator Tyler Warwick, for example, is well-known for his one-man reenactments of the movies’ accidentally absurd moments, complete with a blue-lens-tint and terrible wigs.
The resurgence of the Twilight subculture also comes down to fans re-watching the films after they were added to Netflix in 2021. All five films quickly entered the streaming platforms’ top ten most-watched list.
The first film, produced with a budget of just US$37 million (about A$49 million at the time), particularly lends itself to repeat watching as it is full of odd and quirky details.
Escaping to Forks, Washington
In her book Memes and Digital Culture, professor of communications Limor Shifman argues that, despite their seemingly trivial nature, memes play an important role in shaping and reflecting how people see the world.
Members of Gen Z, many of whom grew up watching the Twilight films, are now young adults trying to survive in a complex world. They also happen to be the most meme-obsessed generation.
The Twilight renaissance may reveal how they are grappling with contemporary life, with some fans calling it a “recession indicator”. Fans seeking safety and familiarity in tough times will watch the films over and over.
“Watching them brings me right back to a time in my childhood where possibilities were endless, and it makes me so happy,” says one Reddit user.
“I always bring out the Twilight movies if I’m stressed with adult life and wanna feel like a kid again. It’s definitely my comfort series,” agrees another.
Twilight across the generational divide
Young adult fiction – and particularly narratives with supernatural, paranormal or fantasy romance – offer an escape from reality that’s centred on the universal experience of adolescence. Coming-of-age stories such as Twilight allow young people to navigate the emotional trials of love, friendship and self-discovery in a way that feels sufficiently different, yet familiar.
And while millennials experienced Twilight first-hand, throngs of Gen Zers are now finding their way to Forks through this resurgence of 2000s pop culture. For both generations, Twilight provides comfort and escapism, while its memeification fosters the kind of online camaraderie that’s often sought in tumultuous times.
By sharing in-jokes, Twihards across the generational divide find community and connection. And that’s worth holding onto, spider monkey.
Authors: Ashleigh Prosser, Lecturer in Professional Learning, Murdoch University
