The two primary examples I’m going to use are the Edward/Bella relationship in “Twilight” and the Clark/Chloe relationship on “Smallville”. Let me offer a brief disclaimer. I am not attempting to bash on either of these series. I love Smallville and everyone of my friends who love “Twilight” got hooked because of me. (Why they’re not Team Jacob fans, I have no idea. Haha) I use these two because they are clear and popular examples. So as you read this, please understand. I’m not calling Edward an evil scumbag or committing the cardinal sin against Clark Kent. I’m not even laying all blame on the writers of these series. As I said earlier, they too may not realize the dangerous stereotype they’ve created. All I ask of you, as a reader, is to read the piece thoroughly. My hope is that you come away aware and informed but still able to enjoy these stories.

Let’s start with “Twilight”. Edward is seen as a caring romantic, who loves Bella passionately and will do anything to protect her. I’m quite sure that was Stephenie Meyer’s intention. But instead we find an Edward who is controlling to the point of abusive, under the guise of protecting Bella. Before the pitchforks come out, let me point out some of the exact moments where this is the case.

-Edward removes the engine from Bella’s car, saying initially that he can’t protect her on the reservation. To his credit, he does later admit to being jealous.
-Edward has Alice kidnap Bella (faking a sleepover) for her protection while he’s away, also to keep her away from Jacob.
-Edward won’t have sex with Bella “for her own protection”. (A quick note, I’m not advocating teen sex. But its one thing to admit you’re scared, another to blame it on the other’s fragility. After all, if Bella needed protection, why couldn’t Edward keep that willpower after they were married? Bella still ended up hurt). The idea also perpetuates one that a woman can be too seductive and needs a man to keep her in control.

Edward Cullen and Bella Swan.

There are other more subtle ones but these examples will suffice. The problem is that Bella is no longer given a choice. Edward’s actions, while supposedly ‘protecting’ Bella, end up taking away Bella’s own free will. Some arguments say Edward is protecting Bella from herself but the greater stereotype created is that Bella is “asking for it”. That somehow by choosing to befriend a vampire (who remember had been sneaking into Bella’s room for weeks), Bella got what she deserved. That is an extremely dangerous idea. No one choice should be able to override all subsequent choices and remove someone’s independence. A common rebuttal is that Edward is protecting Bella from Jacob. But a) Jacob is only dangerous when angered, and b) vampires in general and Edward specifically are what anger him. In the meantime, just being within smelling range of Edward is enough to put Bella in danger. It’s a double standard that serves only to control, not protect.

As time goes on in the series, Jacob too becomes an example of this dangerous ‘false’ protector. (See, I’m not just picking on Edward). Interestingly enough though, Meyer did manage to create a true protector in her story. Perhaps this is because she spent so much time building Edward into a supposed hero, other characters didn’t have time to be overdeveloped. The character I’m talking about is Jasper. As the series progresses, Jasper emerges as a man who is healthily protective over Alice. Specifically, this is displayed in “Eclipse”. When Jasper is training everyone on how to fight, Alice expresses her desire to join in and while Jasper is worried, he doesn’t deny her wish. Later, during the actual battle, Alice is a part of the fight. But we are told that Jasper seemed to be everywhere at once, never letting Alice get too close to danger. Jasper fits the role of a protector. Alice wants to fight and Jasper respects that choice. But because he loves her, during the battle Jasper does everything he can to protect her. It’s an excellent example of a healthy relationship.

Jasper shows a healthy level of protection towards Alice.

The second example I want to use is that of Chloe and Clark on Smallville. In the episode “Abyss”, Clark takes an opportunity to erase Chloe’s memory of his powers, despite her stating earlier (in the same episode) that no matter what happened to her, she wouldn’t change knowing his secret. Clark is portrayed as making a noble sacrifice by taking away Chloe’s memory. When in fact, Clark is taking away Chloe’s free will. Chloe made a decision to accept the dangers of knowing Clark’s secret. Good intentions or not, that wasn’t Clark’s to take away. But instead, the viewer is supposed to believe that Clark took the noble high road and should be praised. In this moment, Clark Kent is no superman. (Sorry couldn’t resist). Again, Clark is portrayed as protecting Chloe when he is actually controlling her. It’s disturbing in particular because Chloe and Clark have always had an independent and mature relationship. They live their lives with mutual respect for one another. But in this moment, Clark lumps Chloe in with all those he’s had to ‘save’, taking away her independence. For fans of the show, the fact that Chloe has never found out or made issue of this is further proof of a problem. After all, any fan knows that a) Chloe would have found out and b) made it into a very big deal. By sweeping it under the rug of Clark’s protection, the problem of control is never addressed.

Clark and Chloe before he has Jor-El erase her memories

There is one argument I can think of to try and justify Clark’s actions. That when he tells someone his secret, they get hurt. So in his mind, though he desperately wants people to know his secret, he has to protect them to the point of making decisions for them, due to a greater desire to keep them out of harm’s way. I could accept that argument if it weren’t for one simple problem. Chloe found out Clark’s secret on her own. Sure some of the details came from Clark but she knew about his powers on her own. Chloe knew the dangers and made her choices accordingly. Taking away a knowledge that Clark never gave is controlling, not protective.

Here’s the real life danger these stories have. By setting up young men who can control the actions of other, as loving protectors, it can foster more real life abusive relationships. A woman who reads about heroes who control a girlfriend’s life to “protect” them often translates that attitude into real life. She can find herself in an abusive relationship very quickly. We need to instead recognize this stereotype for its problems, acknowledge that it’s not a healthy relationship and move on. Insisting that it’s romantic or self-sacrificing serves only to perpetuate the stereotype.

In closing, I want to make a couple points.
1) There’s nothing wrong with liking Twilight. In fact, there’s nothing wrong with being caught up in the initial story. If there weren’t authors who could transport us to a fictional world, literature would be in sorry shape. But we need to be able to recognize the flaws in characters, if not on a first reading, on subsequent ones certainly. Take Romeo & Juliet: on an initial reading, it is the story of tragic lovers. A couple English classes later and the pair turn into a pair of whiny teens with unnecessary drama. But you can still enjoy the story, even when looking at a character differently.
2) Writers can and should write flawed, even stereotypical characters. Perfection is boring. But writers need to be aware the character is flawed. Don’t portray them as heroes.
3) Finally, as readers/viewers, we need to recognize these stereotypes and speak out against them. And know that you can still love a story while not loving a character’s every move.
This is the key to this series, to expose hidden stereotypes and encourage you to look deeper at fiction in all forms. Questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know— azdtexan@aol.com or twitter— @onlymystory.

If you or someone you are know are being abused, please visit this website http://www.ndvh.org/ or call 1-800-799-SAFE for help and resources. Abuse is a very serious thing. While this article focused on fictional aspects, this sort of controlling nature is very common in abusive relationships, particularly among teens. Please, please seek help if you are being abused or know someone who may be in an abusive relationship.