Fifty Shades of (Morally) Grey

Feeling kinky? Lucy Jones tells us why Fifty Shades will get you hot under the collar for all the wrong reasons…

Like most single girls on Valentine’s Day, I went to go and see the hotly anticipated, erotic S&M bestseller adaptation, Fifty Shades of Grey. Whilst seeing Jamie Dornan get his kit off was definitely a key reason for going to see the film, I eagerly awaited how the film would portray the controversial subjects of BDSM, sexual violence, and the manipulation of women.
Unfortunately, the film does not focus on the kink that everyone was hoping for but rather on masculine control and power. There is a pitiful amount of sex compared to the focus on Grey’s attempts to coerce Ana into sex – showing emotional abuse as something seductive. To be quite frank there is more action in Pop! on a Wednesday than in this film… and despite the fact the film’s author, screenwriter and director are all women, the film does little to break down the portrayal of women as sexual objects and submissive to men.

Unsurprisingly, Durex was the first advert that flashed onto the screen before the film started – this, coupled with the opening image of Anastasia riding a lift to Christian’s office at the top of a penis – sorry, building – straightaway set the tone for a film full of not only phallic images but male domination.

the film glorifies abuse in relationships and makes it appear something desirable, seductive and mysterious

The majority of the story is Grey preying on Anastasia and harassing her to agree to his contract, in which she – ‘the Submissive’ – must consent to his supremacy, not the sex itself. Disappointingly, Dornan was not the sexy businessman I had hoped for, but a creepy stalker – turning up randomly at Ana’s work place and at a club where Ana is on a night out with her friends.

The depiction of BDSM takes full force in Christian’s red room – filled with rack upon rack of high-end paddles, restraining cuffs and bullwhips to torture the female ‘Submissive’. The room epitomises the extent to which Fifty Shades of Grey emphasises masculine sexual violence and dominance over a weak and subservient women. The image of Anastasia weeping as she is aggressively whipped six times by Grey could be one of the most misogynistic and troubling film clips of the 21st century.

Photo: Verónica Bautista / Flickr

Whilst critics have been quick to slate the film as completely sexist and as glamorising rape culture, I would argue that Anastasia does actually have control over her ‘activities’ with Grey and has the agency to stop whenever she desires. Anastasia is no walkover (especially at the end) and in contrast to the book I found that Johnson made Anastasia a more intriguing character (as opposed to the quivering mess we find in the book). Most notably in the boardroom meeting, Ana does appear to be in control, and we’re given a brief glimpse of female empowerment. As she works carefully through the contract from Christian she says: “Find anal fisting, strike it out.” Quite the negotiation I feel. Yet the audience still leaves with the central message – that it is okay for men to control and manipulate women. I don’t feel that it goes quite as far as promoting rape culture – Ana does consent – but nevertheless, it glamorises male domination.

The fact some women watching Fifty Shades of Grey may in fact be seduced by the romantic depiction of spousal exploitation is to some even extent endangering for women. If women begin to aim for relationships like Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele’s they may find themselves in something which they do not recognise as an abusive relationships, whether it is or not.

Through displaying such a controlling relationship in such a romanticised way, the film glorifies abuse in relationships and makes it appear something desirable, seductive and mysterious. All I can say is what a way to spend Valentines Day – watching a naked woman weep as she is tortured by a morose billionaire.