Thanks
in part to the E.L. James combined twist of genius and adult knock off of the Twilight
book, the topic of BDSM has become increasingly mainstreamed. If anyone in this
(primarily female) class hasn’t read Fifty
Shades of Grey or at least seen the movie, I would be shocked. As Margot D.
Weiss addresses in “Mainstreaming Kink: The Politics of BDSM Representation in
U.S. Popular Media,” this kind of wide-scale depiction of the BDSM lifestyle
and community would not have happened 25 years ago.
Although some might see the prominence and success of this series as a step forward for the normally marginalized and degraded BDSM community, I argue that it provides further evidence for Weiss’ argument that, “Instead of promoting politically progressive forms of acceptance or understanding, these representations offer acceptance via normalization, and understanding via pathologizing.” The story line of Fifty Shades of Grey is not out of the ordinary, conforming to viewers’ traditional concept of normative American sexuality. However, the SM is justified to viewers because Christian Grey has a troubled, abusive childhood past, marking him as a deeply damaged, disturbed man. People accept the portrayal of BDSM in the movie because Christian and Anna are able to have “vanilla” sex every now and then, demonstrating that they can conform to the norm and that there is some hope for Christian to return to “normal.”
Anna plays the pure virgin who can’t help but be taken in by the older, successful man’s charm and good looks. Even though Christian’s lifestyle hurts her, she believes that she can change him from the damaged, aggressive human he is now into someone who will one day no longer wish to inflict harm upon her. This follows the traditional belief instilled by the media that, as analyzed in popular love songs by Anne Bader in “Love Will Steer the Stars,” “The love of a good and faithful true woman can change a man from a “beast” into a “prince.” This is a dangerous message to young female viewers who might take this portrayal as the model for a normal relationship. With the portrayal of the BDSM lifestyle incorporated into this storyline as well, it cultivates an even more potent message depicting the composition of their community consisting of damaged people who need help finding the light.
Bader, A. (2007). "Love will steer the stars" and other improbable feats: Media myths in popular love songs. In M.-L. Galician & D. L. Merskin (Eds.), Critical thinking about sex, love, and romance in the mass media (pp. 141-160). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Weiss, M. (2006). Mainstreaming kink: The politics of BDSM representation in U.S. popular media. Journal of Homosexuality, 50(2/3), 103-132. doi: 10.1300/J082v50n02_06
Although some might see the prominence and success of this series as a step forward for the normally marginalized and degraded BDSM community, I argue that it provides further evidence for Weiss’ argument that, “Instead of promoting politically progressive forms of acceptance or understanding, these representations offer acceptance via normalization, and understanding via pathologizing.” The story line of Fifty Shades of Grey is not out of the ordinary, conforming to viewers’ traditional concept of normative American sexuality. However, the SM is justified to viewers because Christian Grey has a troubled, abusive childhood past, marking him as a deeply damaged, disturbed man. People accept the portrayal of BDSM in the movie because Christian and Anna are able to have “vanilla” sex every now and then, demonstrating that they can conform to the norm and that there is some hope for Christian to return to “normal.”
Anna plays the pure virgin who can’t help but be taken in by the older, successful man’s charm and good looks. Even though Christian’s lifestyle hurts her, she believes that she can change him from the damaged, aggressive human he is now into someone who will one day no longer wish to inflict harm upon her. This follows the traditional belief instilled by the media that, as analyzed in popular love songs by Anne Bader in “Love Will Steer the Stars,” “The love of a good and faithful true woman can change a man from a “beast” into a “prince.” This is a dangerous message to young female viewers who might take this portrayal as the model for a normal relationship. With the portrayal of the BDSM lifestyle incorporated into this storyline as well, it cultivates an even more potent message depicting the composition of their community consisting of damaged people who need help finding the light.
References
Bader, A. (2007). "Love will steer the stars" and other improbable feats: Media myths in popular love songs. In M.-L. Galician & D. L. Merskin (Eds.), Critical thinking about sex, love, and romance in the mass media (pp. 141-160). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Weiss, M. (2006). Mainstreaming kink: The politics of BDSM representation in U.S. popular media. Journal of Homosexuality, 50(2/3), 103-132. doi: 10.1300/J082v50n02_06
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