Fifty Shades | More or Less a Review - Comments

By the end, I wanted to strangle her inner Goddess. That was the only major thing about the writing itself that drove me nuts. I liked the story overall for what it was, but I think it should have been categorized differently. That's mostly all. I wrote a blog about this already but if you like the books, don't let people make you feel bad for it.

Everyone has different tastes and fantasies.

By the end, I wanted to strangle her inner Goddess. That was the only major thing about the writing itself that drove me nuts. I liked the story overall for what it was, but I think it should have been categorized differently. That's mostly all. I wrote a blog about this already but if you like the books, don't let people make you feel bad for it.

Everyone has different tastes and fantasies.

@ AmorarEsDeVivir
@ Airi.
Hence why I never once called the books a representation of BDSM.

@ essence.
That's pretty much spot on. I read a lot about the books and read them enforce writing this.

I've seen excerpts of that book and if they actually use the phrase "down there" as often as I've heard they do I'm so not interested. I just...I've seen a lot of horrible lines. Dialogue and otherwise. But my main beef with these books is...well, it's already been discussed: That the supposedly "BDSM" relationship is actually really unhealthy. The mantra of the BDSM community is "Safe, sane, and consensual" and...well. Those books don't depict it that way. I think you're spot on when you say that certain aspects of their relationship cause need for psychological attention. I don't like how the books seem to romanticize abuse (especially sexual abuse) and it makes me sad that so many people are "learning" that that's what BDSM is when it's not.

I won't say you shouldn't like it, of course. We're all entitled to like whatever books are enjoyable to us, even if aspects of it are problematic. I just hope the audience of 50 Shades as a whole recognizes those problematic aspects. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like many people do.

The books have been coined as "mommy porn" because, when they first got media attention, the majority of the buyers seemed to be housewives looking for something "forbidden" to read.

I'll be honest when I say that I cannot agree with your seemingly positive view of the books (I'm not actually sure if you liked them or not). For me, as a practitioner of BDSM, these books are troubling and I wish they would stop marketing them as BDSM. These books are not BDSM. They are romanticized abuse taking advantage of a misunderstood community. I don't care if they're James' "personal fantasies". She and the publishers are marketing them as BDSM when they're not, and both parties probably know they're not but want the money calling them something "forbidden" like BDSM will bring them. They are encouraging a dangerous type of relationship. No self-respecting and real practitioner of the lifestyle would encourage the type of relationship Ana and Christian have as it is highly unhealthy and abusive. Christian takes advantage of a young and naive girl and abuses her. The way these books have been romanticized and marketed as BDSM worries me that it'll increase abuse disguised as BDSM, which is already enough of a problem for us.

Granted, I have not read past the first book and I have no desire to. The first book was enough to make me feel sick and made me feel worried. The fact I've seen more than enough people say these books made them believe submissives weren't allowed to say no is enough to have me worried and wish they'd stop getting attention at all.

They're called mommy porn because mothers were the most notable group of people talking, buying, & reading the book and have claimed to use the book on their partners to spice up their sex lives post-baby.

Could be wrong, but that's what I've heard.