Tori
For starters, you can’t really turn your back on something that took up a solid four years of your life. Twilight was basically my life fifth and sixth grade, so much so that my birthday party in sixth grade was Twilight themed. When it comes to the actual story, the minor characters will always have my heart, even as Edward and Jacob continue to let me down. Charlie Swan? A legend. Rosalie? Badass rapist punisher. Don’t even get me started on Jasper and Alice. The biggest reason I’m still down to read Twilight at any time, besides the fact that my sister is at the age where I can read them with her, is that it’s so much better when you approach it as a big joke. Because it is.
Lauren
You can’t talk about Twilight without Taylor Lautner. He is straight from the gods and sculpted out of perfection. When I was 11 he made my prepubescent body tingle. Don’t at me but he makes the franchise. The other phenomenal aspect of Twilight is the music. Bella’s Lullaby is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. The whole montage when that song plays I instantly wanted a vampire boyfriend I never knew I needed. When I do my homework I listen to a bunch of different movie scores and of course, Bella’s Lullaby is on there. We stan Twilight!
Emma
I may be the only one ever in the history of girls to have avoided watching or reading the Twilight series as a teenager, but I survived. In middle school, Twilight was the hot topic. All of the girls had a poster of either Taylor Lautner or Robert Pattinson hanging in their lockers. The obsession was so real that debates would form in the hallways over who was team Edward and who was team Jacob, leaving my friends forcing me to choose who I liked most. I always replied with, “Whichever one is Taylor Lautner,” (which I later found out to be Jacob) considering he was obviously the hotter one. I didn’t even watch the movies, and yet I still knew the names of the characters, proving how much it circulated around school as it really mattered to some girls. For some reason, I just never found the time or interest in the fake vampire werewolf love battle story considering I would have rather been outside playing sports with my friends. I don’t criticize anyone who watched, read, or still watches the movies and reads the books, but is it really all that worth it? We may never know. But, maybe on a rainy day, I’ll add it to my list if it is still receiving all of this hype ten years later!
Theresa
When I first heard of Twilight, I thought it was dumb. I thought it would be another sappy teen love story that only targets teenage girls. Then I watched the movie, and my thoughts remained the same but I became horribly obsessed. Other girls around me were already into Twilight and gave me their books to read and it was over for me. I bought the books for myself and I read through those books like nothing else. Twilight was my first true fandom. I still have a working email that is dedicated to my love of Twilight (At 12 years old, this was peak devotion). I was awarded the “Twihard” award for my girl scout troop. No one could top my love for Twilight and, quite frankly, it was kinda terrifying. I stand by my Team Jacob standing and am not ashamed. Edward is a stalker and left Bella for 3 months without any hesitation. Don’t @ me but I could never forgive him for that. Twilight taught me how to love something wholeheartedly and find others who feel the same way. Fandoms provide a special safe place that no one else can provide.
Jordyn
Where to even begin with my love of Twilight? Ever since the first movie was released in 2008, I was hooked. Before seeing the movie I made sure to read the book, even though I was only in 5th grade at the time. From the minute I opened that book, I couldn’t put it down. That’s where my obsession began. I read the next two books, New Moon and Eclipse as soon as I could, finishing the three books in about a week total. I saw every movie in theaters as well. (Although my mom wouldn’t let me read Breaking Dawn until I turned thirteen because of the hot vampire love.) I’ve always loved Edward and all the sacrifices he made for Bella. Not to mention it’s Robert Pattinson, who is absolutely stunning. The only thing that would make the series better, would be getting rid of Jacob because he’s whiny and demanding. Sorry, not sorry. I will always love Twilight and continually watch them as much as possible, and my love for Edward Cullen will never go away. (P.S. here’s a picture of me in my New Moon Team Edward shirt from 2009. You’re welcome.)
Melissa
“Twilight” honestly ruined my life as a young middle schooler. The movies came out when I was in 6th grade, but I read the books beforehand. In short, I was absolutely in love with Edward Cullen. Like, it wasn’t healthy. I wrote my name as “Melissa Cullen” on homework assignments and verbally fought with girls at school because Edward was mine. I created an email account called twiliteobsessed1001. After my hardcore “Twilight” phase ended, I pretty much suppressed every memory I had surrounding the franchise due to intense embarrassment. However, ten years later, I’ve come to appreciate and defend the series. Let me just say, the books are actually really good — yeah, Edward stalking Bella and Jacob imprinting on Renesme are all super problematic, but they’re still fun. It’s 2019 and I still stan.