And again with my ranting.

Well hello Mibba it's been a while since I've been on here posting that much. I just had to put something up here to let some steam go on something I saw on our beloved Youtube. It was a video called 7 Lessons Guys Can Learn From Edward Cullen.
This particular video was made by a counselor named Aileen Santos. The video begins with her saying that 98% of women who read Twilight totally love it and the other 2% are men or (God forbid) girls that don't find the books to their liking.
Her points are that Edward is not afraid to be a man in "the real sense of the word". She then goes on to describe "real men" as being deep, looking past physical beauty, being man enough to let a woman know your feelings, be man enough to protect her, have self control (a sign of strength and power) put her best interests before your own, respect her as an equal, women dream of being loved like Edward loves Bella (bwahahaha no) and the last one is that their love works because the feelings are mutual.
My gears ground to dust at this video. First off the title. Everybody judges on what they first see, which for this situation was the title. It just basically screams to men everywhere "YOU ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH" and I resent that. It also encourages girls to put out the same message. Nobody is perfect ladies. Finding beauty past imperfections is what love is all about.
Second off, the actual content. Ms. Santos's points were purely opinionated, which is okay. Opinion makes the world go round. I have a million of my own, hence this journal. The first bit got me going immediately; her bit about only 2% of who have read Twilight hating it. I have firsthand accounts with hundreds of people who don't like the books, so I doubt that percentage is only 2.
Her points were also arguable. I don't think (and this is my opinion) that Edward is much of a man at all. The way I took the text was that he controlled Bella by brute force and made sure things were done his way. He even told her in the first book when she contemplated walking away from him that he would "Just drag her back". If my own boyfriend said that, he'd be out of my life. He orders Bella and hardly takes her feelings into account and I would not stand for that. So in my mind, that ousts the first point, the fourth, and the fifth.
As for being man enough to show your feelings, that's really really hard for both genders. It doesn't have to do with being a man, it has to do with finding courage in yourself. Women do it too so I don't see it having to do with how much balls you have. Oust point number 2.
The putting her interests before your own is crap. If you put everyone before yourself you will go nuts from not taking care of yourself. Equal treatment is key. Treating her like a princess is great, but only if she treats you like a prince in return. So I kind of half agree with that point.
Respect as an equal. That is a big part of any relationship. But I don't think Edward ever thought Bella his equal. She was a human, he was a vampire, and so he pointed out many times. He reminded her a lot that she was weaker, that he could hurt her. He held over her head her mortality. Plus Edward could do whatever he pleased. He left her for months, dragged her to prom against her will and didn't permit her to be around her best friend. Edward got away with so much, but Bella could do nothing. In my eyes, that's a controlling form of abuse. Oust point number five again.
Point number six is a bit silly. Sure a lot of women dream of their "Prince Charming" but that doesn't mean it must be Edward. She claims women want nothing more than to be loved like Bella is. I don't know about that myself; I don't want love if he's sabotaging my car engine and trying to tell me what to do. I wanted my prince too, and I found him...in a man that is nothing at all like Edward.
Point number seven is usually true. Love tends to work out when the feelings are mutual. But sometimes that's not enough. Mutual love does not make up for some particular things. A man and woman can be completely in love but the man may become an alcoholic, therefore causing a bad environment for his girlfriend or wife. Love cannot cancel out things that must be taken into account. You can't say Edward and Bella are perfect because of love. If anything, Twilight is a romance in the best sense because the love is riddled with imperfections. But they get past the problems in the worst way; by not dealing with it. By saying that being in love is an excuse.
So no, I do not think that Edward is the perfect man. Nor is their relationship the most perfect one ever. There is no such thing, not even in Twilight's illusion. And please if any man is reading this, girls may still believe Edward is perfect but it's great that you aren't. Imperfections are beautiful. Don't think you must be like Edward. And girls please don't put out the message that Edward is perfect and nobody else is. It's rather cruel. Give a real guy a chance. He may be your prince after all.