50 Shades - Great, or the Greatest?

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Replies

  • Trechechus
    Trechechus Posts: 2,819 Member
    I have no intention of seeing the movie, nor have I read the book. It's basically going to be (as a male friend of mine called it) "Porn: The Movie". It makes me sick that movies like this and Don Jon (one my bf saw and I got REALLY irked...poor guy didn't even know what it was and couldn't leave the room because his father picked it for a "family" movie for them to watch together, along with his sis and stepmother...weirded me out and was worse when his sis said it wasn't that bad, but eh...guess I'm old-fashioned) are even made. I say it should be boycotted, but that's just my opinion...

    Did you actually watch Don Jon? It was about how the porn and film industry have given people unrealistic expectations of what an "ideal" relationship / "ideal" sex should look and be like. It is pretty unrelated to a book series that glorifies abusive relationships.
  • kendall916
    kendall916 Posts: 4,222 Member

    OMGosh thank you for these links! :happy:
  • delicious_cocktail
    delicious_cocktail Posts: 5,797 Member
    I have no intention of seeing the movie, nor have I read the book. It's basically going to be (as a male friend of mine called it) "Porn: The Movie". It makes me sick that movies like this and Don Jon (one my bf saw and I got REALLY irked...poor guy didn't even know what it was and couldn't leave the room because his father picked it for a "family" movie for them to watch together, along with his sis and stepmother...weirded me out and was worse when his sis said it wasn't that bad, but eh...guess I'm old-fashioned) are even made. I say it should be boycotted, but that's just my opinion...

    Did you actually watch Don Jon? It was about how the porn and film industry have given people unrealistic expectations of what an "ideal" relationship / "ideal" sex should look and be like. It is pretty unrelated to a book series that glorifies abusive relationships.

    To use someone else's comparison earlier in the thread, the Saw film franchise doesn't glorify devious traps that require people to harm themselves and/or others in order to escape. It's like saying world war I glorified war - it just was what it was, in all its ugly reality.
  • lafilleavectoi
    lafilleavectoi Posts: 125 Member
    The book is garbage.
  • starrylioness
    starrylioness Posts: 543 Member
    I'm sorry, but I found the books horribly written and stupid, as well as promoting an abusive relationship.

    I have no intention of seeing the film.

    SAME. Bleh.
  • bunbunzee44
    bunbunzee44 Posts: 592 Member
    Too much fuss over a book. It wasn't that 'bad'. And Grey sure was such an over jealous abusive *kitten*.. O.o I found the second book to be the best one though, never finished third one (was bored already...)
  • kimberlyblindsey
    kimberlyblindsey Posts: 266 Member
    r u for real? btw the trailer looks like a higher budget skinemax movie.

    Please note I haven't seen the film. If it's half as thorough as the texts, it will likely become a classic; perhaps studied in college courses devoted to the subject matter.
    As an English major, who studied the likes of Bronte, Austin, and even some Cixous, and Showalter, I truly hope you're being sarcastic. I tried reading 50 shades, and believe me I love my guilty pleasures (because as a HS teacher I really wanted to know what all the hype was so I read the Twilight series); however, to think 50 Shades, which was like truly like the soft porn version of Twilight, is a classic is at the very least laughable IMHO.
  • kimberlyblindsey
    kimberlyblindsey Posts: 266 Member
    Appalled at the closed-mindedness. It's like 1692 in here.

    Think so? I happen to write erotica and have had some things published. Difference is I write GOOD erotica.

    Proof or gtfo!

    www.smashwords.com I won't put my name because MFP guidelines forbid it, but the title of one is called Trapped.

    will find later- love reading good erotica.
    I like watching bad porn too- but reading good stuff- is fun. :D

    Seriously- I think we were talking about this when the trailer first came out.

    The problem is not that we are close minded- it's that we are actually open and aware of what real BDSM culture is like. I'm pretty vanilla for them- but I'm at least AWARE.

    The book/movie are as follows
    A.) vanilla
    B.) written for bored house wives who don't know what porn or BDSM are- and are scared of it
    C.) Does not accurately represent the safety/trust/consensual acts that happen between two people who enter into a dom/sub relationship.
    D.) sh*tty insipid writting

    these are not pick one- it's ALL of those things.
    I pick C. and D.--hmmmm, How many bored housewives will be in attendance on opening night?
  • verptwerp
    verptwerp Posts: 3,659 Member
    it's all garbage, but then I think about their bank accounts $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

    wish I'd thought of it .......

    :sad:
  • AglaeaC
    AglaeaC Posts: 1,974 Member
    I saw the movie Secretary and the Maggie Gyllenhaal character in a dysfunctional family, psychologically destroyed, cutting herself, and was institutionalized - - all at the beginning of the film. But then James Spader swoops in and saves her with discipline and sex?! Treats her like one of his orchids. At least the protagonist of 50 Shades was treated as a human.

    Some people want to be outraged for the sake of it. By all means do that but don't deprive anyone else access to good solid scholarship on the basis of simple anti-populism.

    The whole "I liked BDSM before it was cool" thing is just so hipster.
    I have no idea of what you're trying to say with this.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    My friend tricked me into reading it way before it became popular saying I would enjoy it (what was she thinking? she knows I hate romance). First page, second page 3rd page.. Okay.. Was she playing a joke on me? I hate romance novels and I doubly hate Twilight. I finished the first chapter and could not read beyond "my heart is pounding" and the old and tired trope of a woman meeting a man for the first time and falling for him after the usual "obnoxiously cocky" vs "trembling blushing bride" charade.

    My hate for romance aside, I did not enjoy the writing nor the themes of whatever I managed to read from this book. It struck me as uninspired and forced with stereotypes rather than personalities, and the worst kinds of stereotypes nonetheless.

    I am not sure how it continues, but from the comments here I'm glad I did not bother to finish it. I would have "accidentally" spilled coffee on it before returning it to my friend.
  • AglaeaC
    AglaeaC Posts: 1,974 Member
    My friend tricked me into reading it way before it became popular saying I would enjoy it (what was she thinking? she knows I hate romance). First page, second page 3rd page.. Okay.. Was she playing a joke on me? I hate romance novels and I doubly hate Twilight. I finished the first chapter and could not read beyond "my heart is pounding" and the old and tired trope of a woman meeting a man for the first time and falling for him after the usual "obnoxiously cocky" vs "trembling blushing bride" charade.

    My hate for romance aside, I did not enjoy the writing nor the themes of whatever I managed to read from this book. It struck me as uninspired and forced with stereotypes rather than personalities, and the worst kinds of stereotypes nonetheless.

    I am not sure how it continues, but from the comments here I'm glad I did not bother to finish it. I would have "accidentally" spilled coffee on it before returning it to my friend.
    Oh, honey, it continues the same way. There, you definitely don't have to read the rest. It's as painfully "risqué" (huge apologies to the word) throughout and as tear-producingly cringe-worthy with its "my inner goddes" a hundred times and "my sex" yadayada. It's a housewife's wet dream that should have been edited properly into something actually readable. Now, who was that poor editor and why didn't they get the boot?

    I'm glad so many others have mentioned the twisted sicko abusive crap. That part truly bothers me.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    Yes. Glorifying sexual abuse is fantastic. It should be more mainstream.

    The series is an insult to the BDSM community and to those of us who have had to live through abuse.

    Also, you do realize that the series started life as an online Twilight fanfiction, right?

    I agree!

    If you're curious/open minded about BDSM or the 'kink' lifestyle I'd recommend those to watch the movie Secretary first before watching the movie!

    I :heart: this thread . . .
  • Icandoityayme
    Icandoityayme Posts: 312 Member
    50 shades is good for dipping toes into this type of a life but I myself don't find it accurate. It's nice for vanilla people to fantasize with a fictional book but it doesn't depict the reality of it all. The safety issues of living in a life like that are not even brought up, which is important. Then you get females who get all worked up and excited and wanting to try it , then, if they do try it, aren't prepared for it. A good portion of bdsm is communication first and foremost. Anywho, it's good for housewives looking for something outside of regular hum drum lives.
  • AglaeaC
    AglaeaC Posts: 1,974 Member
    50 shades is good for dipping toes into this type of a life but I myself don't find it accurate. It's nice for vanilla people to fantasize with a fictional book but it doesn't depict the reality of it all. The safety issues of living in a life like that are not even brought up, which is important. Then you get females who get all worked up and excited and wanting to try it , then, if they do try it, aren't prepared for it. A good portion of bdsm is communication first and foremost. Anywho, it's good for housewives looking for something outside of regular hum drum lives.
    I just realise when reading this that I haven't done what I should have a long time ago, much earlier in the thread.

    I'm going to do the responsible thing and suggest something that is safe for beginners to read:
    https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8127475-the-reluctant-dom

    This covers anything and everything you could wish for regarding a safe intro to BDSM. Those who agree with it (50 Shades) being unsafe, please suggest something from your own libraries, too, or this madness will continue. 50 Shades needs to be nuked to oblivion.

    ETA
    There's a ménage à trois, so it might be too much for someone to stomach, but the spanking scenes are described extremely well.
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  • Icandoityayme
    Icandoityayme Posts: 312 Member
    I loved watching The Secretary. It's one of my favorite movies. It's a little closer to what it should be.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    50 shades is good for dipping toes into this type of a life but I myself don't find it accurate. It's nice for vanilla people to fantasize with a fictional book but it doesn't depict the reality of it all. The safety issues of living in a life like that are not even brought up, which is important. Then you get females who get all worked up and excited and wanting to try it , then, if they do try it, aren't prepared for it. A good portion of bdsm is communication first and foremost. Anywho, it's good for housewives looking for something outside of regular hum drum lives.
    I just realise when reading this that I haven't done what I should have a long time ago, much earlier in the thread.

    I'm going to do the responsible thing and suggest something that is safe for beginners to read:
    https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8127475-the-reluctant-dom

    This covers anything and everything you could wish for regarding a safe intro to BDSM. Those who agree with it (50 Shades) being unsafe, please suggest something from your own libraries, too, or this madness will continue. 50 Shades needs to be nuked to oblivion.

    It's fantasy nothing more. I haven't read it, won't read it, primarily because my wife laughed her way through it, but that doesn't mean I need to go around trying to censor it. There are far more sadistic, degrading, and humiliating works of lousy fiction out there. I also get the feeling that many people in here are trying to prove their BDSM "creds" by mocking it. And, on the other end of the spectrum, there are the calls of "abuse." It's somewhat reminiscent of the 80s criticism of violent music lyrics. Where's Tipper Gore?
  • glenmchale
    glenmchale Posts: 1,307 Member
    horribly written trash that has become popular because of shocks to those who have no idea what it is to be in this type of relationship.... its unbelievable how it has made so much money that the film was inevitable... someone somewhere is laughing at all that read all three (i got through some of the first before deleting it and the others) that are now going to pay £10 or more to sit through a more vanilla version of it (obviously cut down from what it is so that they can reduce the rating and make more money)

    my problem with the series is the writing, not the content as has been stated there are worse things out there for people to read, but the popularity of these promotes poorly written novels as something to aspire to.... thats worse than the fact that it promotes abuse... which to be honest its not really doing anymore than say a Snoop Dogg track does
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    I loved watching The Secretary. It's one of my favorite movies. It's a little closer to what it should be.

    Yes. Everyone "should" experience sex in the same way.
  • crispsandwich
    crispsandwich Posts: 177 Member
    Ah, yes. S&M for people who don't know anything about S&M.

    The fact that it is a competent and comprehensive introductory guide to alternative lifestyles is only one small part of the value of the set.

    If Fifty Shades of Grey is your idea of competent, I sincerely weep for you. And my inner goddess is laughing.



    ha ha love that reply !!!!
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    I lol'd at the first page of this thread
  • Dancing_Laeti
    Dancing_Laeti Posts: 752 Member
    The three books were given to me as a Christmas present by a friend. So I read them all. What a waste of time.
    Between the over-mentioning of her somersaulting inner goddess and her half-moon bespectacled conscience all I could think of is what college graduate of 22 talks this way?!!?!?!?!? I found it insulting to my intelligence and I'm not a college or university graduate. I'm 'just' a secretary/PA. And after watching that movie I promised myself NEVER to work in an office where there is only my boss and me!!! :wink: :laugh:
  • DisneyGirl522
    DisneyGirl522 Posts: 4 Member
    I started reading the books to see what all the hype was about. I found them poorly written with a lot of repetition and, frankly, a little boring because of the repetition. The plot that develops OUTSIDE the bedroom is actually pretty good, but I wouldn't call these books, or the train wreck of a film about to happen anywhere in the neighborhood of great.
  • George_Baileys_Ghost
    George_Baileys_Ghost Posts: 1,524 Member
    Clearly on the level of Jane Austen or the Bronte Sisters. Another great day for women's lit.!
  • CupcakeCrusoe
    CupcakeCrusoe Posts: 1,426 Member
    Are you being for real right now?

    It's an awful representation of bad BDSM. Not safe, sane, or consentual all the time.
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
    50 Shades of Grey is a huge pile of smelly, steaming, horribly-written poo. It recasts an abusive relationship as S&M and pretends abuse is sexy.

    No thanks.
  • Icandoityayme
    Icandoityayme Posts: 312 Member
    Are you being for real right now?

    It's an awful representation of bad BDSM. Not safe, sane, or consentual all the time.
    Wholeheartedly agree!