My thoughts on Fifty Shades of Grey

[valarltd]

I haven't read it. I probably won't read it. But in a year when serious presidential candidates come out against birth control, when over a thousand anti-woman laws have been proposed and when half of society seems to be trying to put the other half in burkas, I find it refreshing that the women are reading porn.

They are saying "We like sex. And we like our smut kinky. Fuck you for moralizing hypocrites and give us our porn and our pills!" And they're doing it in NY Times best seller numbers.

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Comments

[kc-risenphoenix.livejournal.com]

Interesting... Not sure of the book, but interesting what you have to say here

[celestinenox]

There's a possible problem with this assessment. I haven't read the book either, but I have read a review of it, out of curiosity. And the possible problem stems from the fact that the kinky part of the kinky sex is probably being set up to be bad.

Basically, the "Edward" is a BDSM dom, and the "Bella" is the new submissive he's obsessed with... but she views his BDSM lifestyle and dom attitude as bad things that are the result of some trauma in his past. Then I went and read the summaries of the coming two novels in the trilogy on Amazon. Rather than "Bella" learning that BDSM is a valid lifestyle that doesn't have to be the result of someone's past trauma, the point seems to be rather that "Bella" will heal "Edward" of his past trauma with her looooooove and thus he won't need BDSM or to be a dom anymore.

But in the meantime, yes, there's hot BDSM sex.

This is my understanding. So... women are reading hot, kinky sex in a narrative that's telling them the very sex they're reading is dirty and wrong.

[valarltd.livejournal.com]

I'm not having a problem with that message, in all honesty. I'm having a bigger one with the message that sex and kink are something you do because he wants them. Then again: fiction and fantasy. I write dubious consent, incestuous bestiality snuff ménage a trois and generally treat love like as much a fantasy element as pixie street gangs or space stations dedicated to orgies.

I think there is a market for women to create their own fantasy and sometimes having something be dirty and wrong makes it hotter than it is in a sex-positive Your Kink Is OK setting.

[mecurtin.livejournal.com]

I *have* read it, and not only is there sex (lots and lots and lots) and BDSM, there's also:

1. a BDSM contract which is discussed and negotiated

2. birth control discussion and realistic use -- i.e. when they break up she stops taking her pills, they get back together and the doctor talks to her about "you could be pregnant, you know" and she *freaks* in that hot-and-cold omgomgomg way you *do*, none of that immediate "but a baby would be so PERFECT!" stuff that makes me *gag*.

Both of these things are *not* as standard in fanfic as they should be, and I found them dealt with in a remarkably adult way. I'm inclined to think that she can write about BC sanely because she's a Brit.

[valarltd.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I love the "Oh crap, not preggo!" moment idea.