So with all the hype about the Twilight Saga, this Edward Cullen must be one killer boyfriend, right? Described as “sparkly”, and “beautiful” among other mushy terms, Edward is definitely one glamorized vampire. Though he and Bella Swan certainly seem to share a connection, is it a healthy one? For a teen love affair, it definitely raises some red flags. Read on:
1). In the book New Moon, Edward ends his relationship with Bella on a hasty goodbye for “safety reasons”. She is left alone, crying and brokenhearted in the woods. Not only did Edward leave her vulnerable and alone in the dangerous forest, he deserted her after gushing for months about how she was his soul mate. Suddenly, Edward is gone with the wind, sinking Bella into a depression so deep she can barely get out of bed for months. So knowing from the beginning their union as human and vampire would always be a threat, why did he put her in grave danger in the first place if he loved her so much? This just is way too intense of a relationship with too many super highs and super lows. It doesn’t really show female empowerment and attempting to get over your first love-more like its okay to wallow in bed and never see your friends or try period. It seems to almost idealize having a broken heart.
2). Also, in some relationships, it may be cute to watch your partner sleep, yet it’s just plain creepy to think of someone you aren’t even officially involved with yet watching you outside your window all night long. I know, I know, Edward never sleeps and has to have something to do since he does have all of eternity. But watching outside your window while you are sleepy is a bit, uh, creepy. Doesn’t this kind of romanticize stalking? Time apart is healthy-and while Bella and Edward are in a relationship, there is very little of this.
3). In New Moon, Edward takes some of Bella’s memorabilia of their relationship and hides it under the floorboards. He says this is to help her forget about him but by doing so it simply makes him look like their relationship meant nothing to him. Obviously, this sends her into an even bigger tailspin-and surely the best way to move forward isn’t to pretend it never happened.
4).Also, for someone so in love with Bella with her so obviously reciprocating his feelings, why does he act so crazy about her being friends with Jacob Black? Sure, he’s a werewolf, but he’s a vampire so what’s the difference? Isn’t this a double standard? He is endlessly rude and insulting to Jacob, when he should be thankful Jacob was there for Bella when he certainly wasn’t. Jacob kept Bella alive, but all Edward can do is ask Bella not to see him. That just screams possessive. Bella is so obviously miserable without her best friend, yet Edward tries to convince her that their love is all she needs. Talk about putting all your eggs in one basket-nothing sinks a teenager faster than ditching all her friends for a boyfriend.
5). Suicide is an option way too often in this series. From Edward trying to get the Volturi to kill him, to Bella doing life-risking stunts to get Edward to come back, desperation for the happy ending veers into an unhealthy obsession.
The Twilight Saga may seem like innocent fun, but parents and teens alike should know that a true love affair is a healthy union, not an obsessive one.
