Question #119: Have you read ’50 Shades of Grey’?
December 10, 2012
If you have – you MUST read the following article.
If you haven’t – you MUST read the following article.
It’s so well written and clear. I think it succinctly hits the nail on the head – so this one’s a bit of a Feminist Shout Out #6 to you ladies.
I would LOVE to hear from those of you who liked the novel and what it was that appealed to you (no judgement, whatsoever – just honestly curious).
Have you changed your mind, now that you read this article?
Question # 120: Is it just another step in our conditioning?
Let me know what you think.
Deep Breath.
x
Questions for Us 
I’ve read it. To me it felt more like child abuse more than woman abuse. Once I connected with the idea that Anastasia is very child-like I felt even more sickened by the book. It’s popularity is enormously concerning to me. At best it’s another step in the mainstreaming and increasing availability of porn and exposure of kids to porn (this book is at EVERY supermarket/large dept store that I go to with my kids!). At worst it reads like a ‘how to’ guide for pedofiles… Sickening 😦
I definitely know of high school girls who have read it. My concern is that if there were so many middle-aged housewives who yearned for a Mr Grey, what are our young, developing young ladies’ minds going to think?
Makes me shudder.
I have read 50 shades and enjoyed reading it as I took it for what it is, a fictional book. I think people are looking in to it too seriously. Look at the Hunger Games – yes I enjoyed this trilogy as well, knowing that it is fictional. Young people have found these books extremely appealing and it is has children, fighting to kill each other in a twisted game of survival.
Yes Fifty Shades of Grey is explicit and sends very mixed messages but how about books like Lord of the Flies where children kill each other.
It is fictional, take it for what it is and I definately do not crave for a mixed up, control freak like Mr Grey.
Awesome, thanks Kristie! I know the majority of women are just as smart and took it for what it is.
I did, though, read on Facebook posts, many women’s (what seemed like) ‘crushes’ for him. At the time I had NO idea what it was about, except that it was raunchy. I haven’t got a problem AT ALL with raunchy – but I guess it made me go, ‘What?” when I heard what is WAS about and then remembered those comments.
It seems like there are a lot of gullible women out there.
Thanks for commenting, Kristie. 🙂 x
Hey Kristie,
I was responding to another comment and reread yours and wanted to address the other books you mentioned. In terms of The Hunger Games, I think there’s a difference because it’s a ‘future’ world where children are made to kill each other – it’s not reality. But men like Mr Grey exist and his behaviour IS a part of our world. And yes, Lord of the Flies is also confronting, but I think it’s a commentary of how, without our ‘societal rules’, we may turn to savagery.
I agree with you, that all stories should be taken as fiction, it’s just so worrying how ‘close to home’ 50 Shades is, I suppose.
Sorry for the second comment days later! 😀 x
Haven’t read it, and don’t plan on it, but having read less than half of the article you linked (I couldn’t read any more after that), I’m sickened by the fact that others (particular young girls AND boys) may have read it and taken away from it ideas about sexuality and gender roles that are ultimately destructive to all women.
Yes, that’s the concern for me too. Our youth are being continually subjected to adult, pornographic ideas (from subtle to blatant) and their brains are developing with those concepts as ‘reality’. It’s an emergency.
The worst part is, its everywhere – so even if you could theoretically control what your child is exposed to at home, they will likely still see/read/hear it outside. Which is why I think media literacy should be mandatory.
I’m a high school teacher and we do our best – but it’s an onslaught, that’s for sure.
Cool! So you can at least educate *your* students, and increase the likelihood of other teachers doing the same. But yeah, it does seem to come at us from everywhere, doesn’t it? 😦
That was an excellent article link. I am getting the sense that people are inching closer together on problems like these. Perhaps we will see the day when that kind of material is not glorified. Thank you for sharing that and sorry I missed it.