50 Shades of Ignorance

Since the international bestseller Fifty Shades of Grey was released in 2011 it has broken world records selling 5.3 million copies, become more popular than the highway code and has been adapted into a film which grossed at $81.7 million in the US on the opening weekend. However despite the book’s undeniable success it has also attracted massive controversy.

It is clear that Fifty Shades of Grey has taken the public by storm for one main reason: sex. It is very much the Lady Chatterly’s Lover of today. It is indeed a refreshing sight to see so many people opening up to sexuality and taking a less judgemental stance on “taboo” subjects such as BDSM. However, it is also true that Fifty Shades has a much darker side to it. The protagonist, Ana, is subjected to emotional and sexual abuse throughout by the “love- interest” Christian Grey. In response to Ana expressing doubts, such as "I can't do this", Grey merely responds by saying things like "Oh Ana, don't overthink this". Also, phrases such as “I would find you. I can track your cell phone, remember?” are commonplace throughout the trilogy. This is clearly the coercive behaviour of an abuser and by no means a true depiction of a BDSM relationships where the use of safe words and consent are essential.

In light of this threatening element of the book, should it be surprising that so many people have blindly jumped on the Fifty Shades bandwagon? Astonishingly sex-education is still not mandatory in UK schools and the schools that do teach it rarely cover vital topics such as gender, sexuality and, most importantly, consent. Putting a condom on a banana is really about as in depth as it gets. Due to inadequate sex education, teenagers and young adults have no choice but to turn to other places to learn about sex. This means that when a book like Fifty Shades of Grey comes along it’s going to attract some hype. The fact that the series has captivated so many fans surely shows that people are curious and want to know more about sex. This illustrates the danger of pushing sex education under the carpet. People need to be educated properly by professionals about sex, not by sketchy internet porn and authors who know no more about BDSM than the reader.

But has the success of the Fifty Shades of Grey really been a catastrophe for feminism, and sex in general? Although it is true that the books undoubtedly send out harmful messages to the youth of today, it has brought attention to the void of information that has been left by substandard sex education and has highlighted issues surrounding consent and sex to the general public. The success of Fifty Shades of Grey is something we can all learn from and use to further the discussion about the need for better communication about sex.

Written by Tash

Edited by Ellen

Picture Credit: Ellen

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/9459779/50-Shades-of-Grey-is-best-selling-book-of-all-time.html

http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2015/feb/16/record-breaking-opening-weekend-for-50-shades-of-grey