In an age when sexual violence against women around the globe is at epidemic proportions and the leading cause of injury to women is violence at the hands of men, Hollywood has decided to gift us with the film adaptation of E.L. James’ absurdly popular book Fifty Shades of Grey.
Director Sam Taylor-Johnson glamorizes the film, released to coincide with Valentine’s Day, as a “powerful and romantic love story.” In reality, Fifty Shades of Grey is nothing short of a horror story about a powerful and sadistic male perpetrator who preys on Anastasia Steele, a young, naïve and virginal college girl. And though the screenplay is not worth the roll of toilet paper it was written on, moviegoers from around the world flocked to theaters, spending over $260 million to see the film on its opening weekend.
As the director of Nefarious: Merchant of Souls (a film exposing sex trafficking) and the founder and CEO of Exodus Cry, I have five primary concerns about this movie and its apparent mainstream appeal.
1. The story romanticizes sadistic perpetrators.
The male protagonist, Christian Grey, is the textbook profile of a sadistic perpetrator: possessive, hyper-controlling, bullish, volatile, caustic, broodingly jealous, narcissistic, manipulative and fixated on inflicting pain, humiliation and degradation on another human being.
The abuse portrayed in Fifty Shades of Grey is not an imagined scenario that only plays out on the pages of a book or in the frames of a feature film. Instead, it is a real and measurable offense that permeates our world. In an analysis of the book’s content published in the academic Journal of Women’s Health, researchers systematically analyzed the actual content to “elucidate patterns consistent with national definitions of intimate partner violence and associated reactions known to occur in abused women.”
Consistent with the Centers for Disease Control’s definitions of intimate partner violence, emotional abuse was present in nearly every interaction and included stalking, intimidation, isolation and humiliation; all strategies that collectively served to control Anastasia. Sexual violence, the use of alcohol to promote compliance and intimidation were also pervasive. Throughout the course of the story, Anastasia experienced a range of reactions commonly reported by abused women, including perceived threats, difficulty managing stress, yearning, altered identity, disempowerment and entrapment.
Despite this, the author excuses—even justifies—Grey’s exploitative behavior because “he is impossibly good in bed.” Sadly, actress Dakota Johnson, who plays Anastasia, has referred to Grey as a “hero character.” It is interesting that even Jamie Dornan, who plays Grey, recognizes the sordid nature of the character he portrays. “[T]here were times when Dakota was not wearing much, and I had to do stuff to her that I’d never choose to do to a woman,” said Dornan. “[I’ve] played a couple of sick, sick dudes, serial killers … and characters who don’t treat women the way society deems appropriate. [Still,] Christian was a massive challenge.”
Despite such admissions and the fact that Grey is an abusive manipulator, the author and screenwriters spin his actions in such a way as to sanitize and glorify his sexual deviance and exploitation of Anastasia.
2. The story reinforces and perpetuates a cultural narrative that renders women as a subjugated class of sexual objects that men use and consume.
Fifty Shades of Grey is merely an amplification of a toxic cultural narrative in which women exist as objects of male desire whose sole purpose is to be consumed by dominant, aggressive and hyper-“masculine” men. The Fifty Shades of Grey directive to women is no secret as the film’s bold tagline encourages women to “lose control.” Tragically, in this narrative and in real-life scenarios all around the globe, countless women and girls are losing control as victims of rape and exploitation every day.
3. The story redefines love by replacing respect and compassion with abuse and narcissistic pleasure-seeking.
This film has been marketed by promoters as “a fairy-tale love story.” But I have to ask, “Whose fairy tale is this? And where does love appear anywhere in this picture?”
Rather than expressing love through kindness or an empathetic interest in helping Anastasia achieve her potential as a woman, Grey treats her as nothing more than a sexual conquest driven by his own narcissism. The film justifies Grey’s abusive and obsessive behavior—including his illegal intrusion into a woman’s apartment—as justifiable acts of love rather than warning signs of a dangerous, exploitive relationship.
4. The story mainstreams and normalizes BDSM.
Many people assume that the genre of sex called Bondage and Discipline Sadomasochism (BDSM) and glamorized by Fifty Shades of Grey is only about the harmless use of blindfolds, whips and handcuffs to spice things up a bit. But I think this narrow view is a mistake … and a danger. Even a brief glimpse into the world of BDSM demonstrates a far deeper, more sinister significance.
As part of my research regarding human trafficking and the commercial sex trade, I toured Kink Armory in San Francisco, California, multiple times. The things I witnessed at this film studio and epicenter of the BDSM community were disturbing—even traumatizing. These experiences combined with interviews of numerous people immersed in this world have led me to the undeniable conclusion that BDSM is ultimately not about some erotic thrill but about the desecration of humanity.
It is alarming that Fifty Shades of Grey is providing a gateway into this dark world of debasement.
While I was at Kink, they boasted of hundreds of sex slaves within their community who are subjected to the worst kinds of abuse. How do they subjugate these sex slaves? Their website boldly explains: “To train these female slaves, master trainers use everything from humiliation, bondage, whipping, caning and corporal punishment … but … the primary means of training female sex slaves is psychology. Consensual domination increases each woman’s submission, remolding her mind and attitude until she is an obedient sex slave.” The site then emphasizes, “REAL SLAVE TRAINING, NOT STAGED.”
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