Twilight is enjoying a resurgence amongst the Internet after 10+ years. While people are more than willing to admit its problems, they are also ready to embrace the positives of it as well. Although some aspects of it definitely don’t hold up and remain problematic, it also doesn’t mean that we can’t acknowledge those flaws and still enjoy it. Sometimes, we just need some of that uncomplicated joy we get from a piece of media that we consume. It’s not a bad thing to want, and in this day and age, we need whatever joy we can get.
Even so, with resurgence and everything, the appreciation for the other Cullens and the acknowledgment that the Quileute Tribe got the shaft in the story, people still have a problem with Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart). The clumsy girl who, honestly, was more of a stand-in for us all instead of her own character, gave a chance for the reader or watcher to pretend to be her and have the chaste vampiric romance of their dreams. Again, that’s not a bad thing to want. Still, as the novels weren’t told in the second person, Bella had to stand as a character on her own, and although she had her good traits: bravery and brains, we can all agree that Bella was a flawed character to say the least. With that said, are you really surprised this list exists? Here are 20 Things Wrong With Bella We All Choose To Ignore.
Her Naming Skills
As the mother, Bella does have input on how her child should be named. Since Edward (Robert Pattinson) is the dad, you think he would have some opinions as well. Even to this day, the name Renesmee just brings about snorts of derision.
Don’t get us wrong, it’s lovely that Bella wanted to name the daughter after her human and vampire mothers, but just because you can mash two names together into a new one, doesn’t mean you should. Also, if Renesmee turned out to be a boy, then Bella wanted to name him Edward Jacob or E.J. for short. Naming your son after the guy that you had a weird on-off flirtation with is sure to be a good idea.
Irresistible To Pretty Much Everyone
Bella has a weird history pre-Forks, Washington and her life in Phoenix is a pretty big blank. From what we do learn, however, is that she had no friends. Or, at least, no friends’ worth mentioning in her narration. Yet, when she arrives in Forks, she’s pretty much the center of attention from the start. Even though she is the new girl, it’s something that would be bound to wane. Soon enough, however, boys are fighting over her and the Volturi end up finding her fascinating.
It would make a little more sense if there were something about her. From what we learn in the novels and the movies, she doesn’t seem to really want to be around people.
Her Mental Powers As A Human
The special powers that some vampires possess is definitely something that’s not really explored. From what we understood, it’s tied into something that they had control over as a human. For example, Edward’s ability to read people turns into telepathy, but the other powers, however, just seem overly fantastical for the rules of the first book/film. Then there’s Bella, who can block mental powers as a human.
From what we know about vampiric powers, they don't come into full force until they’re turned. Why is Bella so special? How can she block powers even as a human? Are there other humans who can do that? The questions remain frustratingly unanswered and it does point out some pretty large flaws in the world's logic.
Willingness To Abandon Everything
Over the years, Bella got into a lot of weird situations: in order to protect Charlie (Billy Burke), her father, she would just run away with no real explanation for him, she continually abandons her human life in order to handle the latest vampire threat, and the fact that she commits these actions without a second thought is disconcerting.
While she may argue that it’s because she wants to keep those she loves safe, wouldn’t it be safer to let them know? Instead, Bella just drops everything and returns without fully grasping why she is being punished for such decisions.
Never Gets How Weird Her Relationship With Edward Is
Real-life relationships can be tricky at times, but relationships in YA novels can be doubly so as there are usually extra threats to the partnership. While romance that springs from passion and near demise can appear romantic, romances also take work to maintain, as well as a recognition of when things aren’t good. Bella, however, is so completely taken with Edward that she doesn’t seem to realize it.
Guys shouldn’t watch you while you sleep before dating you, and they also shouldn’t abandon you in the woods after breaking up with you. In turn, you shouldn’t put yourself in increasingly dangerous situations to hallucinate them. All in all, it never seems to connect with Bella that such actions and thoughts were either dangerous or weird.
Refuses To Try
One of the most common complaints about Bella is that she’s not an active participant in her own story. That is definitely true in some aspects, especially as she takes a back seat to the various supernatural matters. It’s frustrating because, especially in the first part, she’s very active as she is the one that does the research and figures stuff out on her own.
Not to mention that when she’s being hunted, Bella is the one who leads him away, and she proceeds to meet him on her own terms and tries to defeat him. It doesn’t end well, obviously, but it was an active and brave move. Then, as the series goes on, she just stops trying and takes a backseat.
Never Really Put An Effort With Human Friends
Bella is a bad friend. She’s a good friend to Alice (Ashley Greene), but to her human friends, she’s not. While there is a wall of hidden information between them and her, it doesn’t negate the fact that she’s not a great friend. She brushes off plans, doesn’t engage, and focuses all her time and effort on the Cullens. Even when Edward leaves, Bella goes into herself and purposefully puts walls around them and her. It’s frustrating to watch because they clearly want to be her friend.
Instead, Bella just acts aloof and distant. It’s amazing that she even has any human friends to attend her wedding after how badly she treated them prior.
Oblivious
Bella doesn’t seem to be entirely quick on the uptake in some aspects. While she knew that Edward had a problem with her, there were a great many things that she didn’t cotton on to, like the crush Mike Newton (Michael Welch) had on her. Usually, when the evidence is right in front of her, Bella knows something is up, but when it comes to the quieter sort of readings, she doesn’t seem to know what’s going on.
Being oblivious is a good character flaw to have as you don’t want your characters to be too perfect. However, it’s just frustrating at times, like how she doesn’t quite understand the danger she's in when she goes to the Volturi with Edward.
Led Jacob On
In New Moon, Bella found herself increasingly leaning on Jacob in order to try to get over Edward’s departure. During this, she tried to sort out her more-than-friends feelings for her friend. Even so, she still loved Edward and was actively trying to see him via her hallucinations. However, she led Jacob on in the process, making him believe that a romance between them was very likely.
It was frustrating because Jacob genuinely cared about Bella and her feelings. Even when he tried to distance himself from her after his powers emerged, he didn’t leave her hanging for too long and he tried to be there as best he could. He didn’t deserve the whole “will she, won’t she” vibes.
Doesn’t Take Necessary Precautions
When you hang out with vampires on the regular, then you have to be cautious. Depending on the type of vampire, bleeding near them is definitely not a good move. You would think that Bella, who knows this information from Edward, and that Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) still has issues with remaining “vegetarian,” would be duly cautious. Instead, she keeps putting herself into these situations.
More importantly, the whole paper cut thing in the beginning of New Moon. You don’t play it off like it’s not a big deal, Bella! You get out of there and be cautious or something.
Not A Great Daughter
Bella, for the most part, doesn’t really respect her parents all that much. She refers to her mother as a child in her narrations, and while Charlie acts, at least, like an adult, Bella still calls him by his name. Even when Charlie is the one who has to pick up the pieces following Edward dumping Bella, she still runs away to Italy without a word to her father.
That’s the thing about Bella’s relationship with Edward, she always put that before anything and everyone else, even her family. It’s a bummer because, from what we see of Charlie, he loves his daughter. He wants her happy and to be a part of her life, but Bella won’t let him until some things are permanent.
Decides That 17 Years Old Is The Perfect Time To Become Immortal
Eternal life and eternal youth don’t sound that bad, in fact, it’s part of the appeal for vampires and other such supernatural creatures. You get to be young forever, but there’s always a price to pay. Then, there is a universal truth that teenagers don’t make the best decisions in the world. I mean, really, remember the Tide Pod Challenge? Bella, at the age of 17, makes the decision to get married and become a vampire.
Now, marriage at a young age, we won’t judge on that, but deciding to eschew humanity and become immortal? It just seems like something that requires more decision. Nearly all of the Cullens were near their end when they were turned, whereas Bella made the choice. At the very least, wait until legal drinking age.
Doesn’t Learn More About Customs For Vampires or Werewolves
The thing about being a human in a supernatural setting is that a lot of customs or rules are not readily available to you. Usually, the protagonist has to learn about them as they go along. Given the danger posed by James (Cam Gigandet) and the Volturi, the Cullens should have given Bella the heads-up about other vampires and the ruling class when she and Edward started dating.
Also, when Bella hangs out with Jacob and other members of the Quileute Tribe, it would have also been a good time for her to learn more about the wolves. Actually, even tribal traditions would be good to learn here. We’ve seen Bella research in the first book/movie, and just because she knows the answer, doesn’t mean she should put a pause on learning everything.
Her Obsession With Edward
We can talk all day long about how Edward’s fixated tendencies are a big red flag, and they do deserve to be discussed, but the fact is that Bella is just as obsessed as he is. Honestly, it doesn’t entirely make sense. Why would you want to nitpick a guy who makes a face like you smell bad and immediately tries to transfer out of your one shared class? Usually, you just think the guy is a jerk and move on with your life. Yet, Bella persists.
It just kind of gets worse as the books and movies progress. There’s literally the entirety of this in New Moon, how they get back together in Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn has them finally tying the knot. The only time they're in opposition is in Breaking Dawn when Bella wants to have the baby and Edward worries over her health.
Zero Self-Preservation
Self-preservation is not a bad thing. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to save your own neck in a perilous situation. Or, you know, taking a moment to consider the consequences of a potentially dangerous action.
Then, you have Bella. Even when she should focus on saving her life or staying out of enduring situations, she doesn’t. Instead, she will taunt a biker gang just to see the vampire who dumped her, or she will go and meet a vampire who wants to eliminate her alone. It’s just one bad move over another.
Thinks Vampirism Is The Only Ending For Her
Bella, for a large part of the series, has wanted to become a vampire herself. Sure, the Volturi made it clear that Bella should be turned or eliminated. Even so, the fact that Bella believes that vampirism is the only way to go (the sooner the better) is a little frustrating. She thinks the Cullens, especially Edward, are denying her something by asking her to wait a little bit.
The thing is, they didn’t choose it. All of their turnings were the result of a near fatality. Bella, however, is choosing the life for herself. Is it really bad to have those human experiences like college and maybe a vacation somewhere sunny? Instead, Bella decides that the only ending is the one where she becomes a vampire rather than exploring her options more.
Self-Destruction
This one does, admittedly, go hand in hand with zero self-preservation as it was definitely the most disturbing aspect of New Moon. Edward dumps Bella in a particularly traumatic way (seriously, guy, make sure you don’t dump her in the middle of the woods. Dramatic? Yes. Safe? No) and Bella falls into a months long despair. This leads her to do increasingly dangerous stunts in order to hallucinate Edward, which is precisely the picture of self-destructive tendencies.
It got so bad that when Alice had a vision of Bella jumping, she thought that the ending was permanent. This is the opposite of healthy, both physically and mentally. Why didn’t someone who cared enough about her make her get help? She needed help.
Swings Way Too Quick Between Selflessness And Selfishness
Fans of the character will admit that Bella has two conflicting core personality traits: she’s both selfless and selfish. On one hand, Bella will put others safety before her own in order to ensure that they will live and she doesn’t want people to be punished over her own actions.
On the other hand, Bella complains constantly about Forks and everything about it. She is flat out mean to people she thinks are beneath her, and she pretty much wants to have parts of her human life while also being a vampire. She can go from one extreme to the other in surprising speed. Not that all characters have to be one or the other, but there should be some sort of middle ground here.
Literally The Perfect Vampire Without Even Trying
One of the major aspects of vampirism that we hear from the Cullens is how hard it is to be a vampire. The talk about the newborn thirst and how powerful the need for it could be for them can be pretty demanding. It’s pretty much guaranteed, ready-made drama. However, when Bella was turned, there wasn’t any of that. There wasn’t that struggle with the thirst and she was pretty much good from the start after a brief adjustment period.
Nothing that the Cullen's described impacted Bella at all, which would have made for a compelling story than whatever was happening with the Volturi. Nope. Bella was just good right from the gate. She was even able to be around her father in short order.
Really, Really Needed Therapy
The obsession with Edward, the self-destructive tendencies, loner tendencies, the abandonment she would force people through, her willingness to just stop being human, it seems like a lot of Bella’s behavior points to a need to talk with someone. Mental health in media doesn’t really have the best track record, and Bella is one of the cases. She’s not well and constantly pursues avenues that are unhealthy.
Charlie, for example, should have forced Bella into therapy around New Moon. If your child is having bad dreams over a boy and falling into despair, then she needs to go and see someone. There’s nothing more to say about it, except that Bella Swan really needed a therapist at some point during the series.
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What are some other things about Bella that make no sense? Sound off in the comments below!