Are you Team Jacob or Team Edward? Maybe, like Alyssa Best of the Huffington Post, you are on Team Bella?

Or, perhaps, you are on Team Sick-of-that-question? 

As for me, I find myself more and more (and to my own surprise) being on Team Kristen Stewart. The female star of the Twilight movies is talented and famous. But, when I see the media coverage of her appearances – which is, at best, hyper-critical and, at worst, cruel – I have only one response: The girl needs a friend.

The word most often associated with Stewart is “awkward.” Journalists love to cover her appearances on shows from Oprah to Letterman, highlighting moments when she seems to be uncomfortable, fidgety, inarticulate, or – best of all! - blurts out something downright odd. Her recent “wolf pack” interview on Letterman was covered far and wide with unmitigated glee.

Why does it make us so happy when a star appears less than polished and perfect? Why do we pounce on celebrities when they are not wearing make-up, when their cellulite is showing, when their kids are misbehaving, or when they say something strange? It's as if those moments give us permission to admit that celebrities don't have it figured out any more than the rest of us do. But, it's really a twisted sort of satisfaction we take, because the illusion of celebrity perfection is perpetuated by the same media that loves to expose the cracks in the stars' facades. And we go along for the ride, gobbling up the magazines with covers full of air-brushed, gorgeous faces as well as the ones that promise to reveal the sordid details of their troubles. It's a grand scheme controlled and manipulated by the paparazzi machine, in which we play the part of the mindless consumers, spooning up everything they're dishing out. If we could separate our enjoyment of films from the idea that actors themselves are anything more than human folk, we might all (celebs included) be able to take a deep breath. We might stop striving for photo-ready hair that we'll never have, while giving actors back the right to enjoy private and imperfect lives.

The more I see Kristen Stewart in the press - bad posture, awkwardness, and all – the more I root for her. I'm glad she's letting her freak flag fly. It's a relief that there's an actress out there who doesn't need to bend over backwards for the press, who doesn't strive to fulfill anyone's unrealistic fantasies of what she ought to be, who has flaws that are just...there. I imagine she's one of those smart, shy kid for whom acting is a liberating practice. If that's the case, it can't be easy for her to fulfill the many public obligations that Hollywood requires of her. But, I do applaud her for going for it, because that's what she needs to do in order to follow her dreams. And I am grateful that she is showing us, and especially the young girls who are paying unceasing attention to everything Twilight-related, that one needn't be perfect, no matter who you are.

Shannon lives in Brooklyn, NY where she blogs about life, writing, and Young Adult fiction at I'm thinking...

Photo credit mtv.com