But adapting something so popular yet so derided, potentially X-rated and freighted with preconceptions was never going to be simple.
Turning the book into the much-longed-for film, a romance replete with spicy sex released just in time for Valentine’s Day, was a fraught undertaking, made even more complicated by the high expectations of its legions of opinionated fans. (Salman Rushdie, for one, said that it “made ‘Twilight’ look like ‘War and Peace.’ ”) I’m hopeful that the powers that be pay attention, so that the next phenomenon driven by women isn’t rife with problematic depictions of sex and relationships.If ever a novel could be described as review-proof, it is “Fifty Shades of Grey,” which, with its two sequels, has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide despite being ridiculed by virtually every critic who has read it. 50 Shades of Grey demonstrated the consumption power of women in such a strong way that to ignore it would simply be stupid. Year after year, we lament the dearth of media and entertainment that stars and caters to women. And while we should use our collective internet power to problematize that, we should also focus our energy on talking about what 50 Shades represents from a consumer perspective. That’s pretty revolutionary.Įxisting alongside this truth, of course, is the fact that 50 Shades, both book and film, contains giant swaths of content that are horrible when it comes to the messages sent to women (e.g.
A few years later, women poured into theaters around the globe to see the film adaptation, which also contained some of the most graphic sex scenes I have ever personally seen in an R-rated movie, thus cementing the phenomenon created by the sexuality of women. In 20, mothers, sisters, aunts, cousins, teachers, professors, colleagues, and friends read these books…and talked about it. It is not a book with sex in it.” 50 Shades is a piece of erotica that sold 100 million copies and was consumed publicly by women. Zoe Williams from the Guardian described it best when she discussed the popularity of the books: “James’s sex scenes are not incidental, they are the meat of the plot, the crux of the conflict, the key to at least one of and possibly both the central characters. While I maintain that the material in both the books and the movie (though less so) is dangerously problematic, the fact that 50 Shades even exists at all is worth a discussion about the power of women and women’s sexuality. That’s in addition to the sale of 100 million copies of the book. Over a four-day opening weekend, 50 Shades made 94.4 million domestically, and nearly 250 million globally. The Daily Beast describes 7 movies that did BDSM better than 50 Shades, but none of them made 95 million dollars at the box office during an opening weekend in February. And while all of these critiques are certainly valid, they don’t capture the essence of what is captivating about 50 Shades. Most of the conversation surrounding 50 Shades discusses the ill-described BDSM, dissects the abusive relationship between Christian and Anna, and/or rips apart the writing. North Face jackets, Bean boots, and monogrammed jewelry dominated my vision as I took my seat, reminding me that 50 Shades is definitely not a fringe movie. As a gender non-conforming person of color living in rural Ohio, I rarely expect to see people who look and/or express the way I do. The theater was a little less than half full, a disappointment from the viewpoint of the concessions worker. On Friday, however, I took the plunge, spending Valentine’s Day Eve in the movie theater, accompanied by my boo, and watching 50 Shades. 3.) Everyone was reading it, and I’m just not a bandwagon kid. 2.) It originated as Twilight fanfiction, and as someone who used to write (non-Twilight) fanfiction, I was infuriated by the rash of reporting and purging of good stories from due to advertisers being upset about the presence of erotica on the website. 1.) The relationship between the two of them seemed to be abusive, and did not accurately depict BDSM play, relationships, or sex. Until that moment, I boycotted everything having to do with Christian and Anna for three reasons. note: This post was originally published on the Community site.įifty Shades of Grey premiered over the weekend, and I went to see it.