Empowering women is a fine thing to do which most (modern) men wouldn't have a problem with at all. I really enjoyed Buffy and Angel because of the empowerment that buffy had (ie, being uber strong and saving the world on a number of occasions) but still showing that it doesn't pay the bills (in that season where Buffy has to get a job).
My problem with Twilight is that this empowerment of women (the reader) or woman (Bella) comes across as manipulative and selfish because of the way she uses that power - the series is almost DESIGNED to give the reader that power and let them be lost in their own fantasy to prevent them from looking into the situation further than just emotional gratification.
Lets take a look at the start of the series: plain jane arrives in town. Her parents are split up, she lives a simple (ie, not poor but not well off either) life with her father and she has no real skills, talents, abilities or anything else that elevates her above any other human in the universe. Therefore she is powerless.
Power is then thrust upon her by Edward - but she does nothing to deserve this power and seems to have it thrust upon her, its almost at random.
She then uses this power through the first 3 films to manipulate both Edward and Jacob to her whim. In the 2nd one she feels all alone and needs a buddy, so she goes to Jacob for a pick me up and he does everything he can to make her feel better - but the WHOLE TIME she is with Jacob she is still thinking of Edward.
She is basically the worlds biggest cock tease. And with that she HAS power.
Even though Bella is more into Edward than Jacob she never really gives him any clear seperation, so again she is giving him enough 'hope' to keep him interested and manipulatable. In eclipse she is the focus of a vampire army and at the point where Jacob is about to say "Screw this" she pulls out "I love you" on him and convinces him to not only sacrifice his life, but the lives of his wolf buddies as well. All of the time she has already made up her mind. I know they say "You can love 2 people" but only a selfish ***** of a woman would lead both of them on in order to coerse them into fighting for her.
But why wont she go with Jacob? Because she wouldn't GAIN any power.
Lets face it - he (and his native american friends) represent the 'good' faction of the story. They are humble, friendly, honest, caring, hard working - everything that is to make you feel warm and fuzzy. The other fact is that they are POOR. They all live in one mud hut, they probably don't work or only work simple jobs for low pay, they probably eat off the land and sing songs around a camp fire without hot running water or a TV.
If she went with Jacob what would really happen? She couldn't be 'turned' into a wolf and eventually she would just be 'plain jane' but with some dogs around her. She wouldn't have any power to impose her will, she wouldn't have anything special about her and would have to life a very simple, rough, poor and hard life before she dies.
Now, lets look at the Cullens: Rich, opulent, sofisticated and immortal. Power in almost every sence of the word. Even if her and Edward broke up after a few hundred years together she would still have super strength, super speed, money and imortality. The fact that she is more willing that he is to jump Edwards bones is probably more about convincing him to bite her than it is about him trying to save her soul etc.
So yes - Twilight shows that if you don't have power you should try to take it and use it to your own gain. The appeal to alot of people in the books is that all this attention to Bella is completely undeserved and all the power she is being given is almost as if she got the golden ticket for the chocolate factory - she didn't WORK for it, she didn't EARN it yet she has armies fighting over her, has 2 hunky guys willing to fight and die for / over her and all she has to do is give them a little affection and they fall about themselves.
Unfortunatly though I won't be explaining all this to my wife who loves Twilight
