Photo courtesy of teaser-trailer.com
Valentine’s Day is bound to be steamy this year, but rather than merely being hot, it has already made lots of people hot under the collar.
The Fifty Shades of Grey film adaptation was released in theaters Friday, and while the film is bound to rake in serious cash from the Valentine’s Day crowds, the movie has been the subject of intense scrutiny — some of it starting even before filming began.
Though there would, of course, be sexual purists critiquing the work for its portrayal of a romantic relationship that grows from a dominant/submissive BDSM relationship, even members of the BDSM community have criticized the series’ misrepresentation of the practices of these relationships. While the Fifty Shades phenomenon is important for empowering women to explore their sexuality openly, the series itself presents harmful messages to its audience.
Though it is well documented that women are underappreciated in Hollywood, Fifty Shades has joined a recent slow trickle of films that are designed to appeal to the sexual — rather than purely romantic — interests of heterosexual women. A counter to the 1995 NC-17-rated movie Showgirls, the 2012 dramedy Magic Mike depicted the onstage and offstage lives of male strippers and catered to the female gaze. Though there have been countless romantic dramas that target a similar audience — Nicholas Sparks having inspired many of them — often, the sexual desires of the leading ladies are muted.
Perhaps part of Fifty Shades of Grey’s popularity was because of its close relation to its source material; the work is literally Twilight fan fiction, heavily modified to remove explicit references to the characters from Stephenie Meyer’s novels. However, even those who had no interest in Twilight were devouring the book in its early e-book format; it was nicknamed “mommy porn” due to the number of mothers who downloaded the book to their e-readers to read covertly.
However, the book has now become a best-seller, and women read and discuss it openly. Other erotic romances have sprung up in its wake. Fifty Shades of Grey’s allure, it appears, is inherent to the work itself. The Fifty Shades trilogy’s eroticism appeals to the everyday woman while also exploring new sexual territory. Though critics were almost unanimous in their disdain for the work, which offers little in the way of literary merit, the book’s popularity has continued to grow, especially with the film adaptation.
There is a wave of backlash on social media sites like Facebook and Tumblr, but surprisingly not only from religious groups. Endsexualexploitation.org is one of the groups calling for a boycott of the film on the basis that the book normalizes sexual torture and domestic violence. Victims of domestic abuse have come forward to the media sharing their own stories of why they think women should be wary of the books. How can something once known by the cutesy nickname “mommy porn” be so harmful?
The problem with the series lies not with the fact that it handles what, for many, is an unconventional depiction of sexuality, but with the way it handles the relationship between protagonist Anastasia Steele and her wealthy, handsome lover Christian Grey. When the novel starts, Ana is a virgin who is finishing her final semester of college. She gains the attention of Grey, who invites her to be his next submissive and sign a contract agreeing to take part in his bondage play.
However, while this narrative is unwinding, there are many side elements of the story that are quite insidious. Ana lacks significant sexual experience prior to meeting Grey, and she is unsure how to proceed in a sexual relationship with him. Despite this, Grey uses his money and power to trap Ana into being his submissive, even if she is unsure that is what she wants. Even when Ana puts her foot down to stop Grey’s actions, he ignores her or overrides her decisions.
Women who are looking for a fun romp at the theaters might be surprised by the more harmful content in the books. A series of images has been circulating Tumblr, demonstrating the more ominous side of the series. Using the poster’s image of Grey looking at the window, users have photoshopped quotes showing the more troubling moments of the books where the events are less sexy and more sinister, including one when he says “If you struggle, I’ll tie your feet, too,” in response to a protest by Ana.
For the most part, Grey’s manipulations fall in line with the typical behaviors of an abusive partner, though this is not to be conflated with BDSM; BDSM practitioners echo many of the complaints of anti-domestic violence groups, stating that all partners who participate in bondage or discipline activities must consent prior to engaging in these behaviors. Despite stating that she is uncomfortable with Grey’s desires, Ana is coerced into participating, which is unhealthy for any type of sexual relationship, regardless of kinks.
While the Fifty Shades series has paved the way for women to be more open about their sexuality, the abusive relationship depicted in the books makes it a dangerous place for this movement to start.
