Gender Portrayal

In the modern 21st Century, women are generally seen as equals to men.
There's some trouble here and there, but today, it isn't such a big deal as it was, say, a hundred years ago.
Has Twilight made a stereotype of women that should not be getting so much positive attention by the media?
Well, let's look at the facts.
Ahem... Here are some common sayings by the Harry Potter fans:

"Bella is shallow, and Meyer made her weak because she constantly has to rely on Edward, her supposed 'true love'.
Like how in New Moon, Meyer made it clear that she thought that women couldn't live with males."
This is, er, somewhat true, I have to admit.
Meyer does write that Isabella, the main character, falls into a severe depression when Edward disappears.
This is my opinion:
Meyer should have made Bella get over it, and she did, when she started to spend time with an old friend.
So far, so good.
But then Stephenie makes Edward come back, Bella throws away her good friend like a piece of garbage, and welcomes the boy that made her miserable for several months with open arms.
Does this make ANY sense?
One simple word answers:
"NO"
So, I have to conclude that Meyer definitely does not portray women in her books as they are supposed to be portrayed.
Yet women all over the world are still falling in love with the Twilight Saga...
Weird.

Now we'll move onto JK Rowling's portrayal of females in her Harry Potter series.
Much more refreshing.
First off, there are MANY more female main characters that play an important part in the books.
Twilight doesn't even have one. Seriously. I'm sorry, but it's true!
Okay anyway, let's go to Hermione, for example.
Unlike Meyer, Rowling gives all of her characters, especially the female ones, much more depth.
They have their flaws, and are not perfect Mary Sues and Gary Stues.
Hermione is brilliant and caring, but is also stubborn, hard headed, and sometimes too narrow minded.
She's one of the main characters, and plays a very important part in the series.
Ron and Harry actually owe their lives to her, she helped them out of some very sticky situations.
Then there's Luna. She always seems like she's in a very dreamike state, she's clever, and very intelligent.
But she's also a bit too dazed sometimes, and maybe even a little bit loony in believing in what Hermione thinks are fictional characters.
There are plenty more strong female characters, like Professor McGonagall for example.
Certainly seems like quite a step away from Twilight, right?
That's what I thought too.
So in conclusion, Twilight shows women as weak and dependant 24/7 on males;
Harry Potter shows women as strong, independant people who are equal to males.
Maybe sometimes even a bit better ;)

ROWLING TAKES THE PRIZE AGAIN!

2-0
I love Luna...