The film adaptation of BDSM erotica novel "50 Shades of Grey" has raised criticism and questions from religious groups and the media this week.
Fox News' Dawn Hawkins said the film glorifies domestic violence given that the relationship between fictional couple Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey is all about control and domination.
"The reality is that if you take away the glamour, 'Fifty Shades' is just a sensationalized lie, telling women that they can, and should, fix violent and controlling men by being obedient and devoted, and that, somehow, this is romantic," Hawkins wrote. "It is no surprise that Hollywood is betting millions of dollars that now is the right time to offer sexual abuse and sexual violence against women as mainstream entertainment."
The Atlantic's Emma Green shunned the Steele/Grey relationship's "communication issues."
"The most troubling thing about the sex in 'Fifty Shades' isnt the BDSM itself: Its the characters terrible communication," Green wrote.
But there's a bigger underlying problem behind the success of "50 Shades": That the demand and cultural appetite for material like "50 Shades" may be fueled by an increasingly violent and user-generated pornography economy.
As the recent Sundance Film Festival documentary "Hot Girls Wanted" broached, 40 percent of pornography depicts violence against women and the more than 400,000 porn websites get an estimated 450 million hits each month more than Netflix, Amazon and Twitter combined.
Faith Street's Juli Slattery pointed out last year, when the "50 Shades" book hit the landmark of selling more than 100 million copies, pornography whether online or in the form of erotic fiction doesn't just shock people, it lowers the bar for what society thinks is normal in the bedroom.
"Material like 'Fifty Shades of Grey' fuels the allusion that fantasy and a sexual release will bring satisfaction. It leads to an insatiable desire for more," Slattery wrote. "The more you chase the counterfeit, the further away you get from the real deal intimacy."
Fox News' Dawn Hawkins said the film glorifies domestic violence given that the relationship between fictional couple Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey is all about control and domination.
"The reality is that if you take away the glamour, 'Fifty Shades' is just a sensationalized lie, telling women that they can, and should, fix violent and controlling men by being obedient and devoted, and that, somehow, this is romantic," Hawkins wrote. "It is no surprise that Hollywood is betting millions of dollars that now is the right time to offer sexual abuse and sexual violence against women as mainstream entertainment."
The Atlantic's Emma Green shunned the Steele/Grey relationship's "communication issues."
"The most troubling thing about the sex in 'Fifty Shades' isnt the BDSM itself: Its the characters terrible communication," Green wrote.
But there's a bigger underlying problem behind the success of "50 Shades": That the demand and cultural appetite for material like "50 Shades" may be fueled by an increasingly violent and user-generated pornography economy.
As the recent Sundance Film Festival documentary "Hot Girls Wanted" broached, 40 percent of pornography depicts violence against women and the more than 400,000 porn websites get an estimated 450 million hits each month more than Netflix, Amazon and Twitter combined.
Faith Street's Juli Slattery pointed out last year, when the "50 Shades" book hit the landmark of selling more than 100 million copies, pornography whether online or in the form of erotic fiction doesn't just shock people, it lowers the bar for what society thinks is normal in the bedroom.
"Material like 'Fifty Shades of Grey' fuels the allusion that fantasy and a sexual release will bring satisfaction. It leads to an insatiable desire for more," Slattery wrote. "The more you chase the counterfeit, the further away you get from the real deal intimacy."
