50 Shades of Abuse
The “Blurred Lines” Between Black and White
by Bradley Drew Brereton
With the release of 50 Shades of Grey in theatres, many questions are being raised. One of them being, “is the movie worth all the criticism that surrounds it”? In my opinion, the answer to that is yes. It praises abuse, demeans women, and treats them as horny little perverts who are all just waiting to release their inner “goddess” and their cash.
One of the parts that truly makes this movie harmful, even destructive, is that it portrays a harmful version of BDSM that many might take to be true. Bondage can be done safely, but people who want to get into it need to understand it, have a complex understanding of each other and trust each other with their safety without fear. This is not the case in 50 Shades.
If you want to take the bondage seriously, then you also have to take the premise seriously. Just remember if you so happen to be a replacement for your friend who’s a journalist and you are not a journalist, which clearly means your friend doesn’t believe in professional behavior, then the guy you’re questioning starts questioning you, you failed.
During the movie and the book, Christian Grey puts Anastasia Steele into situations that, if done in real life, would be considered rape, sexual assault, and just disgusting. Though the counter argument is that she wants it, the truth of the matter is that Christian Grey is a billionaire who no one notices when he goes out (no clue where) who abuses his wealth and ability to controls others to make it seem like they want it and that it’s your decision or your fault. No, this is not all right. Christian uses Ana to satisfy his own needs, and while the books explain it better, the movie displays it as Christian gets her affection with fancy cars and his mystery and then spanks her and screws her in IHOP. In conclusion, 50 Shades of Grey has romanticized and tried to justify violence, rape, and misogyny, creating a movie that just spits on its audience to help with lubrication.