50 shades of grey

[Merkavar]

not sure if this has much discussion value but id like to get you opinions on this.

now i havent read the book but from what i have seen on facebook/failbook etc its essential porn stories.

So what im asking about is what is your oppinion on people openly discussing this.

For example at work in the office i over hear a group of women discussing the book and suggesting that others read it, describing it a mummy porn.

I just find it wierd that people find it acceptable to basically discuss porn in a work situation or on facebook. i would get odd looks and probably be fired or atleast talked too if i started talking about the last porn video i googled

so whats your oppinion on 50 shades of grey apparently making it acceptable to discuss porn.

Edit: if i get banned or suspended for discussing this i guess it proves my point that it isnt acceptable.

 

[Nantucket_v1legacy]

It's not porn but a lot of middle aged women are gobbling it up.
It's talk of our office, the bus stop and even my mother picked it up! It's not too bad - if you have the Internet you can read a lot worse. It's written like Twilight, very simple and pandering for its audience.

Nothing special.

 

[chadachada123]

I highly doubt you would get a warning for this. You can talk about nearly anything here barring things that are illegal.

As for a double standard existing for this smuck over other forms of sexualized media, I'd definitely agree that one exists from personal experience. Every one of my aunts has read it along with my mother and they discuss it openly.

And yet, I couldn't fathom mentioning video game sexual material that I downloaded to anyone, let alone family members. The closest I've come to that is discussed Katawa Shoujo with some friends, most of whom laughed it off as a 'cripple sim.'

 

[Trivun]

I won't bother listing my thoughts as they're pretty much the same as most other people on this site, who will no doubt be posting their hatred of the series soon too. However, I don't specifically hate it, since I've not read it and thus won't give a strong opinion either way. I simply have no real desire to read it anyway. But, I will say this. I was pretty much incredulous and kind of annoyed by MSN's website earlier - it's mentioned that apparently Emma Watson is the frontrunner for the lead role if a film is made of the books, which would be a travesty anyway, but she's a very talented actress, a decent and intelligent person, and has a brilliant career ahead of her - why in Offler's name would she willingly be associated with something like 50 Shades Of Grey? Even taking my lack of strong opinion into account, I can tell a film version would be a load of crap just from the premise and from what I do know about the book, and I don't want to see one of my favourite up-and-coming actresses involved in a project like that when she has so many other more worthy movies on the cards.

Other names that MSN suggested as possible contenders for the lead role included some of my other favourite young actresses - Jennifer Lawrence, Emily Browning, Dakota Fanning, and Mila Kunis. Just more names that I don't want to ever see associated with a film like that. Seriously, ladies, there are much better movies to be attached to, you all have bright futures ahead of you, do you really want to be associated with this instead?

 

[Spambot 3000]

I've actually never heard any women talk about 50 shades of Grey. Except on the Internet. Oh well, maybe once, but they were talking about how ridiculous it is.
Personally, based on others experiences, I think it's odd that someone would openly discuss porn. Like, you know, sittin'-round-the-dinner-table openly. Calling it 'mummy porn' is kinda weird, too. It's putting a cutesy word before a ... not-so cutesy word. It creeps me out like the term 'kitten bondage' would also.

 

[CaptainMarvelous]

Yeah, I read two or so pages and freaked out that my mother was reading this -_- it's pretty dirty. It's badly written Twilight fanfiction which has inexplicably gained popularity for being smutty as all get out.

It's still not acceptable to discuss porn, but the fact my local bookstore now has a shelf of novels in the vein of Lady Chatterly's lover it reminds me this isn't exactly a new fad. Would like to see if there've been more sales of leather goods recently though.

 

[Cowabungaa]

snip

Excuse me, but we're talking about a movie adaptation of a book filled with all kinds of kinky stuff. Should we really complain about the possibility of seeing the likes of Emma Watson or Mila Kunis do all sorts of light, bondage-esque things? I know my stance on the matter.

Anywho, I don't think it has really caught on yet over here. But then again, the Dutch aren't exactly sexually repressed so stuff like that doesn't raise many eyebrows. I mean, we have movies aimed at children that feature topless chicks.

 

[chadachada123]

I won't bother listing my thoughts as they're pretty much the same as most other people on this site, who will no doubt be posting their hatred of the series soon too. However, I don't specifically hate it, since I've not read it and thus won't give a strong opinion either way. I simply have no real desire to read it anyway. But, I will say this. I was pretty much incredulous and kind of annoyed by MSN's website earlier - it's mentioned that apparently Emma Watson is the frontrunner for the lead role if a film is made of the books, which would be a travesty anyway, but she's a very talented actress, a decent and intelligent person, and has a brilliant career ahead of her - why in Offler's name would she willingly be associated with something like 50 Shades Of Grey? Even taking my lack of strong opinion into account, I can tell a film version would be a load of crap just from the premise and from what I do know about the book, and I don't want to see one of my favourite up-and-coming actresses involved in a project like that when she has so many other more worthy movies on the cards.

Other names that MSN suggested as possible contenders for the lead role included some of my other favourite young actresses - Jennifer Lawrence, Emily Browning, Dakota Fanning, and Mila Kunis. Just more names that I don't want to ever see associated with a film like that. Seriously, ladies, there are much better movies to be attached to, you all have bright futures ahead of you, do you really want to be associated with this instead?

Oh dear god, I would pay ALL of the money to see Emily Browning in a movie like that, no matter how cheesy it is.

 

[Elemental]

I pretty much got the idea of it from Duke Nukem and I think it's enough.
I won't bother looking for it, seems disgusting.

 

[Luftwaffles]

from what ive heard its akin to bad twilight fanfiction.

10,971 of 11,369 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars

Did a teenager write this???, April 15, 2012

By meymoon (California, US)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fifty Shades of Grey: Book One of the Fifty Shades Trilogy (Paperback)
I really don't like writing bad reviews. I admire people who have the courage to put pen to paper and expose themselves to the whole world, especially those writing erotica. Having just finished this book, however, I feel compelled to write a review.

About half way through the book, I looked up the author to see if she was a teenager. I really did because the characters are out of a 16 year old's fantasy. The main male character is a billionaire (not a millionaire but a billionaire) who speaks fluent French, is basically a concert level pianist, is a fully trained pilot, is athletic, drop dead gorgeous, tall, built perfectly with an enormous penis, and the best lover on the planet. In addition, he's not only self made but is using his money to combat world hunger. Oh yeah, and all of this at the ripe old age of 26! And on top of that, he's never working. Every second is spent having sex or texting and emailing the female character. His billions seem to have just come about by magic. It seriously feels like 2 teenage girls got together and decided to create their "dream man" and came up with Christian Grey.

Then come the sex scenes. The first one is tolerable but as she goes on, they become so unbelievable that it becomes more laughable than erotic. She orgasms at the drop of a hat. He says her name and she orgasms. He simply touches her and she orgasms. It seems that she's climaxing on every page.

Then there's the writing. If you take out the parts where the female character is blushing or chewing her lips, the book will be down to about 50 pages. Almost on every single page, there is a whole section devoted to her blushing, chewing her lips or wondering "Jeez" about something or another. Then there's the use of "shades of". He's "fifty shades of @#$%% up," "she turned 7 shades of crimson," "he's ten shades of x,y, and z." Seriously?

The writing is just not up to par, the characters are unbelievable, and the sex verges on the comical. I don't know what happens in the remaining books and I do not intend to read them to find out. But given the maturity level of the first book, I imagine that they get married, have 2 perfect children, cure world hunger, and live happily ever after while riding into the sunset, as the female character climaxes on her horse causing her to chew her bottom lip and blush fifty shades of crimson. Jeez!

 

[Hagi]

Let me ask this very, very simple question:

If you did not discover porn at an age you were still unsure of yourself but instead discovered it at 30+ for the very first time would you discuss it with your friends?

If said friends of about the same age also hadn't discovered porn yet and in fact didn't even know of it do you think they would continue said discussion and check it out for themselves?

 

[Merkavar]

its good to see im not the only one to feel there is a double standard between this erotic story and other forms of sexual material.

so my challenge to all of you. go to school or work and discuss some other sexual material and tell us what happened

 

[Padwolf]

I had one hell of a huge rant typed up in reply, but my internet crapped out and died as I was posting. I can't type it up again. 50 Shades of Shite is apparently literature. I wouldn't call it that, but people do, and it's perfectly ok to discuss literature. It is a double standard. I have read the book. Page to page and I can honestly say it's the worst book I've ever read. And yes I have read Twilight, all 4 of them.Twilight is better. 50 Shades of Shite is actually Twilight fanfiction. This is stated in the book itself, the author gives you her account name, google it and it goes to 50 Shades of Shite but with all the Twilight character names.

But the book doesn't even discuss sex right itself. The author portrays the BDSM lifestyle completely wrong. She makes it so you have to have something wrong in your head, or a fucked up past, to be able to enjoy BDSM, and it's something that the protagonist has to "cure" Mr Grey of.

There are many faults in the book, such as the structure causing inconsistencies and the character's morals and values quite askew. Hell, the relationship in the book is just downright abusive. He isolates her from friends and family, telling her that she can't tell them anything, yet he can talk to his friends and family about it. Everytime he visits her she ends up in tears again and again. He stalks her, knows where she lives, who she sees. He even flies out to meet up with her when she is trying to spend time with her mother. The main character doesn't have much of a spine, she continually says how stubborn she is and how she will never do anything she doesn't want to, but she ends up doing everything she didn't want to do. She is a worse character than Bella Swan.

I didn't start reading the book with the intention of ripping it to shreds. I was curious to what all the hubub was about. I kept reading because I was told it gets better. It didn't. It got more stupid by the minute.

If you want a film full of kinky stuff, go watch The Secretary. I can guarantee it would be more worthwhile.

 

[WolfCross]

As long as everyone can admit it's smut and drop any pretences about it being art or fine literature then i can't say i have a problem. I mean there's ann summers parties and state-of-the-art dildos available in high street shops right? Ofc the whole thing smacks of double standards somewhat but hey, what's new...

 

[DrRockor]

From what I've heard its badly written porn by an author who used to write twilight fanfiction. Oh and it shows the BDSM culture in a bad light. I've not read it but I've heard extracts and it doesn't sound like its fantasically written.

 

[PrinceFortinbras]

I haven't heard many good things about it to be honest. It's supposed to be badly written and presenting a wrong/stupid picture of BDSM. I wouldn't know I haven't read it. It does seem to be the new thing we are supposed to hate on the internet though. And I am soooo tired of this sort of internet-geek-consensus.

MovieBob sort of touched on this in one of his columns on Twilight. I don't think it is that wierd that a book that accepts that women have sexual wants and needs sells like cold water in a desert, that is after all what it is in a way. Womens sexuality haven't been acknowledged in media for a hell of a long time. And along comes this book that is not a romance with erotic elements, it's a pure erotic novel. Not only that; it also strays from the vanilla formula quite a bit. I think it is a good thing that women are beginning to be more conscious about their sexuality and dare to show it in public. We have been doing that for years..

Also; this book is so not for me.

Spoiler

I am a sexually submissive male..

 

[Geo Da Sponge]

Fifty Shades of Grey, you say? I've practically become a collector of videos doing parody readings of it.



Anyway, I hear it's pretty bad, yet it sells like hot cakes. Seriously. I was in an airport a few weeks back, with a dozen or so bookstores in the departure lounge. Every single one had at least 20 copies of the damn thing, very prominently displayed. Even the shops which were mostly selling food but had a small section for books as well. And when I was working in a second hand bookshop at the weekend, when a copy of the book was put on display it would be snapped up in minutes, to the extent that when I was in there yesterday they had the sole remaining copy propped up on the front desk.

Now, I don't have a problem with the subject matter, as I'm into it myself. I kind of have a problem with someone making a fortune off of what sounds like dime-a-dozen fanfiction, and I also have a problem with a caricature of BDSM being the first one to hit mass popularity (as if we didn't have enough of those already). Now I can't really condemn it for the second point because I haven't read it all, I've just heard extracts. But if they don't even bother with safe words, then I'd be kinda pissed. Then again romance novels always contain unhealthy relationships because otherwise they'd be veeeery short...