• more about #karenhealey
    bookwench: Eh. The first movie had a certain charm; the second one completely lacks that small magic. I was actually rather bored sitting through it. The acting ... more »
    shoroko: I didn't read Twilight, I saw the first movie and that's it. It's getting harder and harder for me to care that much. Taking out the issues with Edwar... more »
    Sunshineyness: Ugh. These books are not that deep. They are very surface level. If you like them, than fine, but there's not much beyond what you read on the page. more »
    Bill-Lee: Just to reiterate an earlier point: Twilight is about an 18 year old girl in love with a vain and emotionally abusive man something like 90 years her ... more »
    VEXisGaY?: What i don't understand is why she would she choose Edward over Jacob, is it for the not dieing thing? Because come one he looks like a guy that got r... more »
    gbmbg: "...she has perfection, but a static and essentially unchanging one." Christian heaven overtones. I know Meyer's been accused of pushing Mormon ideal... more »
    Spider Sister: Are there any other books worthy of dissecting so thoroughly that we can discuss here on io9? I personally think that this Twilight business is really... more »
    Mary Sue: Yes, I do believe there is already a word for Bella's behavior-- 'passive-aggressive'. more »
    Eridani: I completely agree with this assessment of Bella. The only truly humorous scene in the series is when Bella has decided she's going to seduce Edward ... more »
    Allen_Richards: Oh a side note, the newest issue of Horrorhound magazine has a brief history of the teen vampire novel for those trapped in NEW MOON Mania. more »
    TemporalSword: I'm no expert (being a man and having never read nor seen anything Twilight), but it seems like Bella just isn't a good role model for women (of any a... more »
  • #youngadultfiction

    Twilight's Bella Is "The Sexual Aggressor"

    Over at Strange Horizons, author Karen Healey has an amazing essay about body transformations in young adult fiction. She looks at adolescent physical changes in several novels, including the Twilight series. Vamp-loving hero Bella, she argues, is hardly passive. More »
  • #infoporn

    Why All Female Superheroes Look the Same

    This chart compares the body mass index (BMI) of superheroes in Marvel comics with those of typical American women and men. Researchers Karen Healey and Terry Johnson used physical stats from Marvel's Web site to show that the vast majority of female superheroes are underweight, though the males are mostly normal. Just to remind you, in the BMI scale, below 18.5 is underweight, 18.5-24.9 is normal, and over 25 is overweight. Healey's analysis of what this means is hilarious and thought-provoking. More »