Saturday, February 11, 2017

Having your Kink and Condemning it too... A discussion with Madeline Iva about 50 SHADES OF GREY film & books

A few months ago, Madeline Iva over at the Lady Smut blog asked me if I'd be interested in joining her for a conversation about the 50 Shades of Grey phenomenon in February, on the weekend when the film of 50 Shades Darker opened. I had to admit to Madeline that I'd never read the books, or seen the first film, but that I thought it might be time to catch up with the popular romance zeitgeist. So I spent a chunk of this week reading 50 Shades of Grey and 50 Shades Darker the books, viewing the DVD version of 50 Shades of Grey that I borrowed from the library, and sitting in a (surprisingly empty) theater on yesterday afternoon, watching 50 Shades Darker the film.

Hope you'll check out my talk with Madeline over at Lady Smut, and that you'll add your thoughts here or there about the books and the film, and whether they represent a step forward, or a step back, in regards to women's sexual freedom.


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2 comments:

  1. Linda BancheFebruary 12, 2017 at 11:17 AM

    JACKIE C. HORNE: "Billionaire romances paper over the trouble that actual billionaires present...most real-life billionaires make their money through capitalistic competition, competition that often relies on shortchanging the average Joe (or average Ana) worker. To fantasize about a powerful billionaire falling for them, [the average Jane--my words]women have to forget or ignore all the other women (and men) upon whom his billions were built, and upon whom his continued wealth still relies.
    And they also have to keep imagining that the only path to power is an indirect one, by being in a relationship with a wealthy man, rather than imagining that they could gain power themselves. Those are both fantasies that limit, rather than empower, women."

    I agree, and that's a good summation of why I never liked billionaire romances. Make your own billions, instead of marrying them. As if the average Jane has much of a chance of getting one to marry her--that's more like an impossibility, and I fail to see the romance in impossibility.

    The fantasy is a powerful one, though, for many women. Or maybe it's a denial of reality, for however long we read the book. Time for different fantasies. But then, books about female billionaires probably wouldn't sell. Just like Regencies (my favorites) that feature rich, powerful dukes are the most popular, and ones with poor men who make something of themselves aren't as popular.

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  2. AnonymousNovember 19, 2017 at 7:15 PM

    BDSM is porn and abuse.

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