Fifty Shades of Grey, directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, and based on the infamous ‘mummy porn’ books written by E.L. James made a whopping £13.4 million from its UK box office weekend release. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t without controversy. I, like many women, decided to watch the film because I found the idea of S&M funny, flirty and exciting. I came out of the cinema dumbfounded and uncomfortable. Fifty Shades of Grey completely fails to provide an enjoyable depiction of S&M but instead offers up something very disturbing. This film, these books, this cultural phenomenon, is domestic abuse insidiously disguised as erotica.
Lets begin with a little character analysis:
Ana Steele: Ana’s overriding characteristic is vulnerability. This is why Christian is drawn to her, because she is easy to manipulate and he can get a power trip over dominating such a vulnerable character. At least in the books, Ana attempts to take ownership of the situation by calling to her ‘inner goddess’. In the films, we don’t even see that. She takes absolutely no ownership of the situation she is in. What we should see is a strong, sexy woman, fully in charge of her body, and engaging in S&M because she finds sexual pleasure in the playful, experimental nature of the experience. Not a vulnerable, naïve young girl intimidated and manipulated into the ‘red room’.
Christian Grey: If he were a real person, women would be running from the hilltops to get away from a man like this. Don’t let the money, abs, and supposed sexual abilities fool you. I looked up a list of tell-tale signs for abusive partners and it reads pretty much as a description of his personality:
1) Need to dominate
Obviously. Christian’s contract to Ana indicates that he is to dominate every single aspect of her life: what she can eat, what she can wear, how regularly she should exercise. In the book, the contract states:
‘The Dominant may use the Submissive’s body at any time during the Allotted Times or any agreed additional times in any manner he deems fit, sexually or otherwise.’
So basically what this means is that as soon as she’s put her name on the dotted line, she is his property for his to do with as he pleases. Even if she later indicates that she does not want to have sexual intercourse, it will not matter because contractually she no longer has ownership of her own body.
2) Humiliation
When Ana ‘misbehaves’, Christian makes her bend over on his lap and he spanks her. Spanking can be sexy, sure, but in this case, it is not done to be sexy. Christian spanks Ana as a punishment, and in doing so, he purposely belittles her.
3) Isolation
Ana’s supposed misbehaviour, and the reason Christian decides to punish Ana this way, is because she visited her mother in Georgia. This is really, really worrying. This is Christian’s first step in cutting Ana off from the outside world, disconnecting her from reality so she no longer realises what is normal and what isn’t.
4) Physical and Sexual Abuse
In the closing scene, Christian whips Ana six times, making her count every time he does. Tears rush down her face and she follows with the line ‘you will never do that to me again’. Sexy? Or Abusive?
For woman to be so sexually craved that they cannot see past the multiple orgasms to the characteristically abusive relationship honestly baffles me. They defend their beloved ‘mummy porn’ on the grounds that Ana is consensual. Just because Ana, virginal and emotionally vulnerable, consents, that does not mean she knows what she is getting herself into. Signing a contract is very different to living the real thing, just as the end scene in which she is whipped until reduced to tears, plays out. Moreover, it is not just about the sex, it’s about the whole relationship which surrounds it. Playful, experimental bondage can be exciting and sexy, provided it takes place within the boundaries of a healthy, loving relationship. This is not a healthy, loving relationship. Christian manipulates and controls her. He even stalks her. Does he love her? No, he loves the power he has over her. For such a controlling, disturbed man and such a vulnerable, naïve young girl to engage in S&M in this way is not sexy. To pretend it is, is to feed young impressionable teenage girls a lie, and to those who know better, it is to glamourise domestic abuse.
Women love the Fifty Shades phenomenon because it has brought erotica into the mainstream, and normalised S&M and bondage, previously thought of as extremely taboo. But it also normalises abuse. That shouldn’t be brushed under the carpet just so we can play out our dirty fantasies. If this was a real relationship, Ana would have to put up with the good and bad: yes the multiple orgasms and string of gifts, but also, the sexual violence, control and manipulation. So, in the same light, we should see Fifty Shades for what it really is, good and bad. Yes some of the scenes are erotic and sexy. But others are also extremely degrading, disturbing, and abusive. We need to take off this disguise and see it for what it really is: fifty shades of f***ed up.