‘Twilight’: Why the Cullens’ eyes change color and what the colors mean, explained

As one of the most popular supernatural love stories in the 2000s and early ’10s, The Twilight Saga has permanently altered the way vampires are portrayed in media. In Stephenie Meyer’s book series and movie franchise, instead of the nocturnal creatures who sleep in coffins and can be reduced to dust when exposed to sunlight, we have modern, sparkly, vegetarian vampires.

Changing up folklore that has been built up over the millennia has often been pointed out as one of Meyer’s most questionable decisions — it’s right up there with the whole “Jacob imprints on Rennesme” situation — but hey, at least we can’t berate her for trying something new. Despite some criticism, Twilight went on to become Meyer’s most successful book series, gaining a cult following that eventually led to a movie franchise.

Of course, the movies only helped increase the series’ popularity, which is now regarded as a classic in pop culture. Undoubtedly, one of the best-known aspects of the franchise is that its vampires are unlike most others we’ve seen in media, with their vampiric society and a great deal of lore injected into the story. And while some elements, such as the sparkling skin, can easily be understood by the audience, others generate a bit of confusion, as is the case with the Cullen Clan’s unique eye color.

The meaning behind the Cullens’ eye color changes in Twilight

The very first time Bella Swan and Edward Cullen properly meet his eyes are dark, something that changes after he skips school for a few days. When he comes back, his eyes are golden yellow, much like the eyes of the rest of his family. Although Bella quickly notices and comments on this difference, it’s not until later that she comes to understand why it happens.

Simply put, vampires’ eyes can have different colors depending on their diets. Most of these beings have bright red eyes because they feed on human blood constantly, while the Cullens choose to consume animal blood only, and therefore have golden eyes. This could change at any point, though, with the only requirement being that the vampire switches up their eating habits. The only exception is for newly transformed vampires, whose eyes remain red for a few months regardless of their diet due to the human blood still in their system.

Besides golden and red, there is another color that any vampire’s eyes can change into — black. This happens when they haven’t fed in a while (regardless of their diet) and are extremely hungry. As Edward later explains to Bella, this means that when the two first met, his dark eyes were the result of his hunger, in addition to his desire to feed on her blood. What a fun start to a romance.