“You are mine, only mine,” he whispers. “Don’t forget it.”
These words are anything but sexy. They are controlling, overpowering and downright creepy. However, in the eyes of many women across the globe this sounds arousing, sweet and passionate.
“50 Shades of Grey” has become a hit at the box office after the book sold more than 100 million copies. It’s sad to see that this movie is portraying an abusive sexual relationship and telling both men and women that this is healthy, fun and endearing.
The movie is supposed to portray a BDSM relationship, which stands for bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism. Many people in the world use BDSM in the bedroom, and that is perfectly acceptable. However, what is not acceptable is when one person has more of a say in what it is they do.
“I don’t think this movie correctly portrayed BDSM, due to the violations of the contract that they had put in place and the overall violence beyond a point of consent,” said sophomore, peer health and wellness/consent educator Molly Anne Marcotte.
Along with the false interpretation of BDSM, the movie also showed signs of a one-sided sexual relationship. It gives viewers the impression that this is healthy and exciting.
“I think this is damaging for society to look at this and say this is what love is,” said senior Camden Lambert.
This story really is damaging, giving viewers so many wrong perceptions. Our culture nowadays believes this is alright.
A particular scene in the movie truly shows how damaging this relationship is. After Grey gets off the phone from a business argument, Anastasia asks him to take her to his playroom to see how bad it can get. With his anger still locked up inside him, Grey takes this out on Anastasia, bending her over and smacking her behind with his belt.
This is not only cruel, but inhumane.
Along with this, the movie also presents stalking as romantic. Anastasia herself is attracted to Grey even after discovering he tracked her phone. This jealously and needing to know where she is at all times emphasizes Christian Grey’s abusive nature.
Still, there are some who believe the movie helps younger adults in introducing them to different types of sex, and what types to avoid.
“Some people are not introduced into those type of things,” said first-year Marcus Starr. “It kinda gives them an insight, something to think about, so they don’t get caught up in anything like that.”
While this may be true, many young girls won’t always see it that way. The movie goes about introducing eroticism the wrong way, giving the young girls who watch it the wrong impression.
“I believe she was very naïve, and he took advantage of that,” said Lambert. “He took advantage of the fact that she was young, and he had all this money.”
Millions of women suffer from domestic abuse, 3-4 million women in the U.S. alone. It’s disgraceful to be romanticizing and glorifying this behavior in films when millions of women go through this in real life.
To fans, Christian Grey is their fantasy. They want to be pleased and dominated the way Anastasia was.
In real life however, those women who have dealt with a Christian Grey say it’s anything but their fantasy. The handsome looks, great style and charming smile don’t dismiss the fact that on the inside he’s psychologically messed up.
This movie creates a constant reminder for these women who have suffered domestic abuse. It gives off the message that they were wrong in believing this is abuse and that they should just forgive and go crawling back to their attacker.
Take away the glitz and glam of this Hollywood movie and you’ll see the disgusting reality. Sexual abuse is not something to take lightly or twist into a romantic and kinky movie.
It’s not something that should be used for entertainment purposes, so think twice before lending the book to your friends telling them it’s a must read.
