The clearest example of Dominant/Submissive ever... FIFTY SHADES OF GREY

I am sure many of you have heard-of/read/secretly-want-to-read the newest fad novel, Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. Fifty Shades is clearly no typical best-seller book, it is an erotic series that has somehow managed to garner extreme popularity and media attention. Though I have read two of the three books in the trilogy, and am quickly making my way through the third, I will focus only on Book One in this entry.

A brief synopsis of the book: Ana Steele is an almost college graduate with a smart mouth and no concept of just how beautiful she is. Ana has no relational/sexual experience until she meets Christian Grey, a rich CEO. Grey soon reveals his desire for BDSM; in other words, Grey wants Ana to be his Submissive partner in their sexual relationship. He offers Ana a contract stating the RULES of their Dominant/Submissive relationship - I will say, these “rules” were graphic and fairly disturbing, and I am shocked that Ana didn’t go running for the door…but I guess that doesn't make for a good story… Now, I won’t give too much away…because I know you’re all going to go read the book after this post… but Ana is hesitant to be Christian’s submissive and in the end, Christian Grey - the unemotional, sadistic bachelor -  chooses to throw away his life of BDSM and settle down with Ana in a committed, less violent/demanding, and, “normal” relationship.

So because I can’t really post an excerpt from the book….

Here’s a clip from ABC News’ 20/20 where E.L. James discusses her book! (the part about why women want men to take care of them is particularly interesting...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpm_1iERyoU

I want to first talk about the overall response to this book and its popularity among teenage, college-aged, and middle-aged women. I think that women are often less comfortable exploring their sexuality and desires, and it is more taboo for women to engage with porn or erotic entertainment. Men, on the other hand, seem to have no problem with watching porn and talking about it.  I, personally, would have never ever thought to read an erotic novel, but because this book became so popular, I was definitely intrigued and I didn’t feel at all embarrassed about it. This book is allowing women to not feel weird about reading erotic novels and allowing them to explore their sexuality, like men seem to do naturally.

Now, in terms of the actual plot: The dominant and submissive codes as stated by Holz Ivory (2009) could not be any more explicit than in this book. The characters willingly take on these roles, and even label themselves as the Dominant or the Submissive. Kim, et al.’s (2007) description of male and female roles are also very clear in this book. Christian is very wealthy, powerful, and extremely handsome - these are all characteristics of a male’s courting strategy. Furthermore, he openly says that he does not want any sort of emotional relationship, stating that he doesn’t do “hearts and flowers” - this exemplifies Kim, et al.’s (2007) male commitment characteristic of avoidance.

While many of the typical gender norms are present in the book, ultimately, Christian decides to change his lifestyle because Ana is not the typical woman. Ana is smart, never backs down, often breaks his rules, and rarely dresses up or “objectifies herself”. And Christian loves all of this; he loves her quick wit, her stubbornness, her complete unawareness of her beauty. If Ana stayed true to the typical female role, Christian would have likely treated her like any other Submissive; but because she is defying those norms, he realizes how much he loves her and will change his life for her ---- (this is also similar to Bader’s (2007) article that mentions the Lyric Myth of a woman’s love turning a man from a “beast” to a “prince”).

Overall, the relationship in this book is intense, risky, and at times, weirded me out! Sometimes, I hate Ana for even thinking about allowing herself to be Submissive, but then again, I respect her for her intelligence and strength…. So clearly, this book both aligns with and contradicts many of the gender codes we have read in class. All in all - GO READ IT!  It is by no means a literary masterpiece, but it sure is entertaining!!