Why do I write about the Fifty Shades trilogy?
Reflections from standing outside the Fifty Shades Darker premiere
About the behaviours in Fifty Shades
About how what might look romantic is actually abusive:
Why do people say 50 Shades is (or isn’t) abusive?
About how BDSM is portrayed:
10 ways Fifty Shades is like real-life abuse, not BDSM: part 1, part 2, part 3.
What’s bad about ‘the worst’ six slaps? (Chapter 26, Fifty Shades of Grey)
About how sex is portrayed:
Women who’ve never had sex or an orgasm need to know that Ana’s first orgasm is utter fiction
About the ‘steamy action’ in 50-Shades-the-film
Worthwhile reads by other bloggers:
Dear 50 Shades fan: BDSM doesn’t need or want your defense. This essay by Jenny Trout gives her reasons on why she believes 50 Shades is harmful to the image of BDSM and why she doesn’t want people to use 50 Shades to defend her personal choices.
I personally believe that fearless, compassionate, sacrificial love is one of the most transforming things anyone can ever receive. But there are a lot ofmyths about what that really looks like in action. The 50shadesisdomesticabuse blog argues it’s not what we see in Ana’s feelings and actions towards Christian. The relevant post is quite long (though worth a read) but the bit about this particular myth is after the image of a bookshelf and under the heading “But her love cures him in the end. They both have to learn, compromise and make sacrifices and that’s what a relationship is about.“
Jenny Trout: 50 Shades and abusive relationships. Jenny looks at characteristics of abusive relationships and the fact that many of them feature in 50 Shades – hence one of the reasons why she finds the books so problematic.
Let’s talk about 50 Shades in a calm and rational way. Jenny Trout with an open letter to ardent defenders of Fifty Shades.
Telling the difference between kink and abuse. Originally written by Scarleteen, this post has been resurrected by the Way Back Machine. My favourite quote is this:
Any responsible kinkster (any respectful and caring person, period, IMO) will take a step back upon finding out that someone they would like to pursue is completely inexperienced. They will give the other person the time and space to make their own decisions, rather than “educating” them on what those decisions should be based on what they, themselves, want from that person. This is true not just for BDSM, but is just generally good etiquette for any situation in a relationship where one partner is far further down a road than the other. One partner is ready for intercourse and the other isn’t? You wait until they are. One partner wants to move in together and the other prefers to have more alone time? You keep your separate places for the time being.
Crimes against literature – why Fifty Shades is badly written
People can enjoy badly written books. But they’re still badly written books. These are my thoughts on the writing techniques EL James uses.
Fifty Shades has 50 novel-writing mistakes part 1, part 2 and part 3 (Feb 2018)
Ana’s spin cycle: the most mundane description ever?
Is it intellectual snobbery to say Fifty Shades is badly written?
Comedy corner
Some anti-fanfic: An Anthropological Study of Human Romance is wonderfully comic for those who are familiar with the books.
Fifty Shades of Frozen – Official Trailer – YouTube. This has the soundtrack from the 50 Shades of Grey trailer, masterfully adapted to images from Disney’s Frozen. Spoiler warning for Frozen.
50 Shades of Parody: Monsieur Gaston will see you now. A short piece of erotic fiction blending Fifty Shades with my all-time favourite (animated) Disney movie.
For more content on the subject of BDSM, see the BDSM page.
There’s also my epic series comparing Fifty Shades with Beauty and the Beast.