in response

I was going to write about an adventrue I had last night, but can't due to my loyolaty to the Twilight Saga. I'm signing in this morning to all the stuff I sign in to, and find that on MSN Today there's a story titled, "Love Bites: Is 'Twilight' Bad for Romance?" I click on it to see what it's about. As I'm reading the article I start to get angrier and angrier, by the second. Not because Erin Meanley, the author of the story, is bashing my beloved Saga, but because she her facts all wrong! To give her credit, she did say from the beginning she was reading the book from a feminist perspective, but she could've at least gotten her facts right?
To summarize what she wrote I'm going to provide the bullets she used in her story. To read the full story follow this link: http://lifestyle.msn.com/relationships/articleglamourmatch.aspx?cp-documentid=21540590&GT1=32023
The first point she make is:
1. Bella has no outside hobbies. I understand that possibly a lot of people wouldn't consider reading a hobby, but it is. what is the meaning of hobby, anyway? According to wikipedia, a hobby is a spare-time recreational pursuit. So, if reading is done during one's spare time, it is a hobby. It is implied that she reads a lot, for example in Book 3, Eclipse, Edward makes a comment about it, "I can't believe you're reading Wuthering Heights again. Don't you know it by heart yet?" (Eclipse, p. 17). Meyers isn't going to mention every time the girl does something away from Edward when the whole series is about him.
In this section Meanley says, "After she moves to Washington, Bella makes a few friends, but she's not interested in them". It says from the very beginning that Bella didn't have friends where she came from either. She's an introvert and not very sociable, which is half of America.
2. The guys are totally unrealistic. This is true. Bo guy would pack food and then offer it around, no guy would be so openly desperate to date a girl (I referring to Eric and Mike). BUT almost ever woman author writes guys the way they wish guys would act. Meanley says that this is setting a bad example for little girls, but giving them unrealistic views of boys. I don;t agree with this. I've been reading books for fun since I was 13, and I never believed that some guy was going to swoon me and be my Prince Charming. I've always known that the boys I will always and will never fail me are the ones in my books. This may not be OK, but I never had unrealistic views of boys.
3. Bella is brainwashed. She goes on to say that Bella is brainwashed because she loves her predator and whatnot. What a great feat it is for Edard that he doesn't kill her and so on. This is wrong though. It;'s not like he drinks human blood and then abstained from it fir Bella. It has been his life since he was created into a vampire. All the other memebers of his family loved a human. The difference is that they turned them into vampire immediately after. She isn't brainwashed, vampires look that perfect to everyone, not just her. Anyways, of course Edward would seem perfect compared to the humans.
4. Bella is a domestic diva. I understand that women want to be equal to mean and HAVE to do certain obligations that has defined women throughout the years. In my life I hope i never become equal to a man. Women are beautiful, nurturing or not. We are a unique gender among our species. Yes, we are treated unfairly and yes, we are expected to do a lot. But if you like doing certain things then do them. Regardless if they're feminine or not. Bella cooks for her dad, because he can't cook and she doesn't want to eat eat pizza everyday. Charlie never told her to cook, charlie never told her to do laundry. She used to do those things with her mom anyways, so what was difference with her dad? Bella never complains about it either.
As for Edward always saving her? She saves him too. She saves him from solitude which is something more than death. Without her, Edward would've lived an extremely lonely life. While Bella on the other hand probably would've married Jacob or Mike. She also saves him on occasion from being killed or hurt. In the 4th book, Breaking Dawn, she does the ultimate saving. She shields everyone from the Volturri. Edward could've never done that.
Erin Meanley is a feminist who doesn't want to think outside of it. She read the book on the surface only. She saw what she wanted to see and nothing else. I'm not anti-feminist, on teh contrary, I believe in feminine power. But i'm not close-minded. Things aren't always what they seem, and just because you're feminist doesn't mean you can't like feminine things and want a Knight in Shining Armor to come save you.
So, Ms. Erin Meanley, don't hate the Twilight Saga because you believe it is anti-feminist. It is not, and for that matter it is just a story like you said. you made fair points, but your biggest arguments were flawed. If you're going to bash something at least do it right.