Got Twilight fever or do you have a burning hatred for everything Twilight? These are the extremes of “Obsessive Twilight Disorder.” Many people who like to blog about Twilight claim fanatics have OTD (Obsessive Twilight Disorder). Which side of the spectrum are you on?

There are many reasons why fanatics and “despisers” of the Twilight series of books and movies claim they obsess over it. The truth of the matter is both groups of people think too much of Twilight and just need a reality check. Some people would argue against needing a reality check but have no real defense for why they love or hate the popular teen series.

A 9^th grade student, who would like to remain anonymous, is not afraid to show her love for the books and movies. She likes to buy a lot of Twilight merchandise and reported that she even owns a giant poster of Taylor Lautner, who stars as Jacob in the movie series. When asked how obsessive she is with Twilight she boldly answered,“20 trillion is the number I would rate my obsession on a 1-10 scale!” Allison Fredette, another 9^th grader  says that the reason she likes the books so much is because she feels that the author, Stephenie Meyer, “can relate to teens in her style of writing because she is younger.” Emily Dreibelbis also admits to being a Stephenie Meyer addict. She explains that she thinks Stephenie Meyer is an awful writer and that she hates her style of writing. Emily says that she hates any book that she feels she could have written the books better than the author. She explained that the only reason she likes the Twilight books is because of the characters and the plot, “If it weren’t for the plot, I probably would have burned it by now.”

      The reason why many people hate Twilight is because they do not like how popular it is and it irritates them how obsessed people can get with it. When a senior was asked about how they felt towards the obsession with Twilight they responded “It’s disgusting how someone can become so obsessed with something that’s just fictional.” Elizabeth Morris, a Junior, thinks that the Twilight series is degrading to women because she feels that the way Stephanie Meyer describes the main character in the book makes the reader think women are weak and useless. The main character in the story is described as a girl who is so obsessed with her boyfriend that she thinks her life is nothing without him. This is something that bothers Elizabeth the most because it portrays women as being really needy and clingy and she says that’s not the reality. For those who are in between the extremes they are just where they are supposed to be. Sam Burke, a 9^th grader liked the Twilight books and movies when she saw and read them, but they’re not a big deal for her. She explains that they are just like every other book or movie, you read or see it and you talk about it but after it is just old news. She too is irritated with the obsession of Twilight. Her words of wisdom on this topic are, “It’s a book not your life, Edward Cullen isn’t real so get over it.” She believes that part of the reason everyone became so into Twilight is because of all the stuff they sell. “The merchandising fueled the obsession.” People are allowed to have different opinions on Twilight but not to the point where it interferes with everyday life.

      People with OTD on either side of the spectrum should put as much energy as they use fantasizing or despising about Twilight into their schoolwork or other productive things. Obsession is never a good with anything because it distracts you from reality and takes up space that you could be using to do productive activities.. So really people with OTD who are fanatics need to step back into reality and see that living in the Twilight series can give you a demented way of viewing things. The Twilight “haters” just need to let the subject alone because it really isn’t fair to judge a book only by what you hear of it and not read it for yourself. Put your obsession behind you and use your energy and money to do something worth spending time doing. Maybe instead of wasting your time on obsessing over the same books and movies you could write a book or script yourself!