50 Shades of Grey -- Hope for us?

[CrystalLight]

So the book, 50 Shades of Grey has pretty much exploded into the world.

[it's the top selling book in almost every format according to The New York Times Best Selling List]

For those not really sure what it's about, here's a summary I found :

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.

My Question : With how much popularity this extremely erotic book is presenting to the rest of the world; Do you think that it might give our own fetish a chance to be viewed as a bit more acceptable?


And a special thank-you to Skippy for explaining the book to me. <33

 

[Sandrock74]

Never trust a man who is described as "beautiful".

My sister has begun reading trashy romance novels (aka chick porn) and she wants to read 50 Shades of Grey, but she's afraid to for some odd reason. Of course, she thinks the B in BDSM stands for Beastiality (no, really, she does). I think that fetishes in general still have a way to go to be more generally accepted, but the surprising success of this book might be indicitive of a start.

 

[Jagermeistered]

I don't think anyone's fetish(or, infatuation), will ever be accepted. Sexual attraction: is very complex...

 

[WorkInProgress]

You know what? You never know. I have to admit I chickened out a few years ago. When I sent to work on a piece of creative writing (I'm being purposefully vague about which genre for anonymity purposes, but feel free to PM me) to express what I knew about the fetish world, I made the story about a more familiar form of kinkiness than tickling. It didn't become famous, but of course 50 Shades did. I don't know exactly what kinks this novel contains, but in answer to the main question, I would say, it is absolutely possible for a successfully novel, movie, or even song to open people up to things they're not familiar with.

If anyone wants to write a novel for the general public about tickling, here are my suggestions: Make it good (obviously), have other things going on besides the tickling fetish world, make it primarily about interpersonal relationships, have just the right amount of tickle action narrated, and omit exposition and preachment about the importance of acceptance. Do all that, it's still a crapshoot, but good luck and remember us when you make it big.

 

[Skipadeedoodah]

I think that there are going to be people who read it and go, "Hmm..." because the sex scenes are so well done, and the kink scenes don't really come in until the second half, or maybe even the last third of the first book. By that time even the most vanilla person can be really into the characters and the dynamic between them, so the kink scenes become more about the continued development of the story and the relationship - and the sex - so they'll find themselves enjoying those scenes for completely different reasons than we are LOL Once they read through the scenes and realize they enjoy them, and they see the kind of emotional changes that happen to the characters, I think it'll create quite a bit of curiosity and desire to experiment.

All that said, I doubt that this is going to inspire many people, if any, to actually delve into the world of BDSM. I think they'll go to Spencer's or their local sex shop and buy a cheap bondage starter kit with a few fuzzy handcuffs and a blindfold and then giggle their way through an awkward, albeit exciting, few evenings. I don't think, as some people have mentioned concern about elsewhere, that BDSM is going to go "mainstream" and not be our own private little world anymore.

As far as our little subset of the fetish world, I feel like we're in a unique position as far as fetishes go, because tickling is already socially acceptable. Everyone does it. I think that that, plus the fact that it's so specific, makes it unlikely that people are ever going to even consider that there are those of us who take it as far as we do, and if brought to their attention, I think they'd just kinda shrug and move on for the most part. Spanking and bondage and having ownership of someone are exciting because they're not something people do all the time - or ever, really. I don't think tickling will ever have the air of naughtiness and kind of forbidden or taboo feel that makes BDSM exciting, and what makes the book exciting. If it was just about two kinky people finding each other and going to town, no one would care. Him luring this innocent, young, inexperienced girl into this dark and sinister world is what makes the book as great as it is. Tickling would never offer that, so I don't think you can really use people's reactions to Fifty Shades to predict reactions to tickling.



BTW, you're welcome, Jo

 

[milagros317]

I don't think that this book will change the way the vanilla population sees BDSM. There was a best-selling BDSM novel in the 1960's, The Story of O by Pauline Reage. It had no long-lasting effect despite being much talked about at the time.

 

[tickledorange]

I had a laugh the other day at a sex shop because they sold the "50 Shades of Grey" kit that included every toy from the book. The toys looked like the typical flimsy "They're not even trying" toys that they try to sell at these places (see: edible handcuffs).

 

[goddess_nemesis]

I don't know. I think these things come around in circles. Like Milagros said, The Story of O is BDSM novel that was a bestseller in the 60's. Much talked about like 50 Shades of Grey is today. It may be popular today and make it seem like BDSM might be more easier to accept, but right now it's just that, popular. A year from now, will it still be the in thing? Maybe. Five years from now? Maybe not.

My boss (before she retired) was reading the book. She had brought to work and would read it when she had some down time. My 65-year-old boss was reading 50 Shades of Grey. I was actually horrified, knowing what that book was about. One, I never thought she'd read a book like that and two, I really didn't need to know that about her.

 

[Goodieluver]

I'd just like to see the memo where it says tickling fetish is not accepted? Non acknowledgment is not akin to non acceptance

 

[BellaRisa]

I agree with Milagros, it's similar to 'O' and others; vanillas/non-kinky folk will be intrigued but that's about t.

Meanwhile, I tried...and I mean I really tried...to enjoy this book, but it's so poorly written I couldn't finish it. I wondered if it was just me. It's not. I found these reviews on Amazon that are so spot-on I had to copy and paste:

9,351 of 9,701 people found the following review helpful
Did a teenager write this??? April 15, 2012
By meymoon
Formataperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
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!

And


1.0 out of 5 stars Bestseller? Really???, March 25, 2012
By DS from LA (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Fifty Shades of Grey: Book One of the Fifty Shades Trilogy (Kindle Edition)
I enjoy erotica and heard so much about this book that I had to give it a shot, but I'm five chapters in and just can't take it anymore. This has to be the most appallingly atrocious writing I've ever seen in a major release. The pseudonymous British author sets the action (such as it is) in Washington State... for no reason than that her knowledge of America apparently consists of what she read in "Twilight"... but the entire first-person narrative is filled with Britishisms. How many American college students do you know who talk about "prams," "ringing" someone on the phone, or choosing a "smart rucksack" to take "on holiday"? And the author's geography sounds like she put together a jigsaw puzzle of the Pacific Northwest while drunk and ended up with several pieces in the wrong place.

And oh, the repetition...and the repetition...and the repetition. I'm convinced the author has a computer macro that she hits to insert one of her limited repertoire of facial expressions whenever she needs one. According to my Kindle search function, characters roll their eyes 41 times, Ana bites her lip 35 times, Christian's lips "quirk up" 16 times, Christian "cocks his head to one side" 17 times, characters "purse" their lips 15 times, and characters raise their eyebrows a whopping 50 times. Add to that 80 references to Ana's anthropomorphic "subconscious" (which also rolls its eyes and purses its lips, by the way), 58 references to Ana's "inner goddess," and 92 repetitions of Ana saying some form of "oh crap" (which, depending on the severity of the circumstances, can be intensified to "holy crap," "double crap," or the ultimate "triple crap"). And this is only part one of a trilogy...

If I wrote like that, I'd use a pseudonym too.

Like some other reviewers, what I find terribly depressing is that this is a runaway bestseller and the movie rights are expected to sell for up to $5 million. There are so many highly talented writers in the genre... and erotica is so much more erotic when the author has a command of the language and can make you care about the characters. For examples, check out the "Beauty" trilogy written by Anne Rice under the pen name A.N. Roquelaure, or any stories by Donna George Storey or Rachel Kramer Bussel. Just stay away from this triple crap.

*UPDATE*: Thanks to the many other perturbed readers who have shared their own choices of the most annoyingly overused phrases in this masterpiece. Following up on their suggestions with my ever-useful Kindle search function, I have discovered that Ana says "Jeez" 81 times and "oh my" 72 times. She "blushes" or "flushes" 125 times, including 13 that are "scarlet," 6 that are "crimson," and one that is "stars and stripes red." (I can't even imagine.) Ana "peeks up" at Christian 13 times, and there are 9 references to Christian's "hooded eyes," 7 to his "long index finger," and 25 to how "hot" he is (including four recurrences of the epic declarative sentence "He's so freaking hot."). Christian's "mouth presses into a hard line" 10 times. Characters "murmur" 199 times, "mutter" 49 times, and "whisper" 195 times (doesn't anyone just talk?), "clamber" on/in/out of things 21 times, and "smirk" 34 times. Christian and Ana also "gasp" 46 times and experience 18 "breath hitches," suggesting a need for prompt intervention by paramedics. Finally, in a remarkable bit of symmetry, our hero and heroine exchange 124 "grins" and 124 "frowns"... which, by the way, seems an awful lot of frowning for a woman who experiences "intense," "body-shattering," "delicious," "violent," "all-consuming," "turbulent," "agonizing" and "exhausting" orgasms on just about every page.



I honestly wish I could pop out my brain for a bit and just enjoy it as a guilty pleasure, but it's just too tragicomic even for that

 

[TeeHeeLawrence]

The B in BDSM DOESN'T stand for bestiality?

 

[Skipadeedoodah]

I agree with Milagros, it's similar to 'O' and others; vanillas/non-kinky folk will be intrigued but that's about t.

Meanwhile, I tried...and I mean I really tried...to enjoy this book, but it's so poorly written I couldn't finish it. I wondered if it was just me. It's not. I found these reviews on Amazon that are so spot-on I had to copy and paste:

I honestly wish I could pop out my brain for a bit and just enjoy it as a guilty pleasure, but it's just too tragicomic even for that

Yeah, I noticed that she uses several of the same words and phrases over and over again. Her "skill" is definitely not refined at all. It's certainly not a timeless piece of literature. But from what I understand she's a wife and mom who doesn't have any experience writing. She just kinda wanted to write and so... she wrote. The repetition is the most annoying part. And actually, I think that it's appropriate in some places. Her repeated references of her subconscious and "inner goddess" kind of show her internal struggle with how she feels about things. It reminds me kind of the little devil/little angel thing. Anyway, if you can get past that and get into the characters, I think you'll really like it. To each her own, though

 

[Soda Bobinski]

Never trust a man who is described as "beautiful".

Oh? You find me untrustworthy , do you?

 

[Sandrock74]

Oh? You find me untrustworthy , do you?

When you insist upon wearing your banana hammock around me, yes, I call you untrustworthy

 

[MrTicklefeet]

Seems every couple of years, some steamy book breaks through into the mainstream, and everyone goes "ohh!" It'll fade and something else will come along. Nothing new here.

 

[WorkInProgress]

Well, these commentaries from people who have read it, who are experienced book readers, and who, by virtue of being in a community such as this, are not prone to being shocked by erotica, show that the book in question relies heavily on the novelty of the subject matter and the shock value of erotica, not to mention that it's been greatly helped by the notoriety it's gotten. And that means that this author's luck is a fluke, not a model for success to emulate.

 

[jj82277]

Well, these commentaries from people who have read it, who are experienced book readers, and who, by virtue of being in a community such as this, are not prone to being shocked by erotica, show that the book in question relies heavily on the novelty of the subject matter and the shock value of erotica, not to mention that it's been greatly helped by the notoriety it's gotten. And that means that this author's luck is a fluke, not a model for success to emulate.

yeh that!!! lol.

I am actually of two minds on the subject, about 90% of me agrees with everyone else here. I actually think it's a little bit of an insult to ANN RICE. The claiming beauty series outsold interview with a Vampire and Exit to Eden was made into a movie (yes, horribly). I think that when Maggie Gyllenhal was bent over a desk and spanked REALLY HARD for all to see in "The Secretary" that the secret was out and people kind of got a look at what was behind some of the bedsheets.

I do think that this wave or fad if you will has a little more potential because of social media and sites like this. There wasn't a fet life for people to find on google when the story of o or claiming beauty came out so i think that it will be interesting to see if pop culture bleeds over into an actual uptick in kink with the wheels being greased already but even still i think that most of the intrigue will be just that.

On the other hand, I hate that this book depicts such a total dom sold into slavery take your virginity aspect to it. I think that for tops and non lifestyle doms who just want to spice it up on the regular that this could absolutely send the wrong message to a lot of women about what it means for a guy to be a dom, or ate the very least some some more very unrealistic expectations!!!

 

[Jagermeistered]

Oh? You find me untrustworthy , do you?

This thread is turning into a novel...

I see that you put your face, on a CGI body... You are such a liar!

.











.

This photoshoot, is bullshit!

 

[milagros317]

I think that when Maggie Gyllenhal was bent over a desk and spanked REALLY HARD for all to see in "The Secretary" that the secret was out and people kind of got a look at what was behind some of the bedsheets.

Yes, that was definitely a BDSM film that was marketed as a mainstream film and succeeded. The burst of talk about it subsided soon enough.

 

[WorkInProgress]

If I were ever a script writer for one of those "LA Law" type shows, I would definitely try to slip in a segment where one of the high-mucky-muck law partners is bringing a visiting dignitary to the firm's office on a Saturday, expecting it to be empty, and walks in and finds one of the office staff, or perhaps one of the lawyers, with a partner on the couch, also expecting to be the only ones there, having a serious spanking. The last season or two of "LA Law" had at least one couple caught in the sex act per episode, so this would seem a logical progression.

 

[youngrl]

Well tickling in general hasn't quite been accepted by members of the BDSM community. So even though BDSM is more accepted (the book is really termed "mommy porn") tickling as a fetish is still obscure and seen as "soft."

I haven't read the book, but from what I heard about the basic plot...the idea is that the 2 main characters are in a relationship, in which the female character is taken care of by her wealthy benefactor (he buys her an expensive car....) so the premise of the story is really based on a loyal relationship while BDSM aspect is secondary.

Thus guys, if you want a woman to indulge in your fetish(es) you gotta take care her!!!

 

[Korastus]

Isn't this the book that was twilight fanfiction until the lady decided she wanted to publish it?

 

[Skipadeedoodah]

Isn't this the book that was twilight fanfiction until the lady decided she wanted to publish it?

All I know about Twilight is that someone is a vampire, someone is a werewolf or something, and they're fighting over some girl (who almost gets hit by a van), so I obviously didn't draw any parallels between them. I have heard from others that there are way too many similarities to be a coincidence.

 

[EcEu]

but in photoshop i can get like 12 trillion shades of gre.... OH you mean the book!

Did anyone else have a little trouble reading this one though? Maybe it's just me but I felt like the characters were maybe too hyper idealized? I guess it works for the story.

 

[Cokecan]

All I know about Twilight is that someone is a vampire, someone is a werewolf or something, and they're fighting over some girl (who almost gets hit by a van), so I obviously didn't draw any parallels between them. I have heard from others that there are way too many similarities to be a coincidence.

Twilight is, apparently, the saga of one girl's choice between beastiality and necrophilia.