UrbanTheory.

Lately, I've heard the usual 'My girlfriend dumped me because I'm not like Edward Cullen.' And I think of all the lonely men there would be if women only took men like Edward Cullen. A lot amiright?

It's VERY important for men and women to understand this: Edward Cullen is not only fictional, but he shows signs of being a terrible relationship partner, and is not even as deep as the sparkles on his skin. If your girlfriend dumped you for the sole reason of you not being like this guy, she was a bad catch anyways.

Twilight fans will say, 'you haven't read the book, you don't understand' or, 'you don't know romance.'

Well, I havent read past the middle of the second book, but I've read everything before. And if you think Bella and Edward's "relationship" is so romantic and qualifies as love, tell me what they have in common, why they are attracted to each other, (OTHER than looks/smell of blood) and what would keep them together if Edward lost his looks and Bella no longer had blood that smells like a field of roses, poppies, and unicorns that bleed rainbows. I certainly don't think Edward's 'I only need myself, you shouldn't be with me' personality would go well with Bella's damsel in distress, submissive and needy personality.

But why is Edward a bad example for men, and why would a man like Edward be a bad partner for women?

I found a little site that may be able to answer that.

http://www.a2zgorge.info/prevention/abuser_warning-signs.htm

This website does a good job of pointing out the warning behaviors of an ABUSIVE PARTNER.

One such warning sign listed is: He/she is jealous and doesn't like you talking to others of the opposite sex, or people he/she perceives that you might have a sexual or romantic interest in.

In the fiction world, this type of trait may not be dangerous, and may seem cute to the twilight reader, but this is a sign of someone who is likely to be an abusive partner. You may notice that Edward gets angry when Jason approaches Bella somewhere near the end (If I'm right) of Twilight.

Another?: He/she drives too fast or does other dangerous things which scare you.

Sounds a lot like Edward seeing as he drives like a freaking maniac and seems to do a lot of dangerous thing to try to scare Bella or things that make her uncomfortable. This also may seem cute to the Twilight reader, but no matter how safe he keeps her when he puts her in these situations, he is still endangering her.

Yet another?: Doesn't give you space - phones a lot, treats your body as if it's their property

Sounds quite a bit like Mr. Watches-Bella-Sleep-and-Follows-Her, doesn't it? Bella does not seem to even have her own life under Edward.

Wanting your man to be like someone else is the wrong reason to love him. What makes love beautiful is that every love is different, not like Edward/Bella's.

Bella-types are also probably not good partners. Bella is submissive, seems to have as much personality as the wooden desk I'm typing on and is only about as deep and unique as her situation with her parents. It gives her a little depth, but not what she needs to be a compelling character.

Both Edward and Bella are made up to be flawless, and that's a very uninteresting type of love.

I don't know everything about love, but I'm pretty sure that Edward and Bella are doin' it wrong.

~MysticEra