You might have heard about this book, turned into a worldwide best seller in a very short time. It is an erotic novel, from 2011, written by the British author E.L.James; the top-selling book of 2012. This week we would like to make some comments about the social phenomenon this trilogy has become among women.
A synopsis: This book is about the relationship between Christian Grey, young billionaire, successful entrepreneur, seductive, attractive, educated, cultivated, sincere, a gentleman, sweet, etc…. and Anastasia Steele, a 21 year old literature student. Although she feels intimidating and clumsy around him, she feels very impressed. He courts her a number of times, and she finds herself wanting a relationship with him. A relationship that will be darker than she ever had imagined because our handsome hero is a sadist and in every relationship he has, he is the “dominant” and women are his “submissive”. Sadomasochism elegantly and exquisitely adorned, up to the point that she has to sign a nondisclosure agreement and a contract setting hard limits in their relationship. His superiority is manifested during their sexual intercourse because she cannot look at him or touch him without his permission. He becomes fascinated by her, among other things, because she is a virgin, this softens his heart and consents to have a “normal” sexual intercourse with her, in which –as he is such an expert- he makes her have very intense orgasms, and she becomes addicted to having sex with him. So much, that she even begins to think about signing the contract to have sadomasochist sex with him.
On the other hand, although she has no sexual experience, she is a modern woman who continuously tries to rebel to the control he starts to develop, but… the newly discovered sex addiction and addiction to him is stronger. Her curiosity to find out what could have made this impressive man have this type of sexual conduct, leads her to discover his dark past where he was abused.
Slowly he gets inside her life, controlling every movement, what she eats, who she goes out with, etc… but at the same time falling in love with her. Of course she is bound by the nondisclosure agreement and cannot talk about what she is going through with anyone. In the end of the first book, she cannot decide whether to sign the contract or not, so she asks him to punish her so she can see what she is getting into, and decides to leave him after he beats her.
But… he wins her back and the control over her life will be absolute, getting her to leave her job and marrying him, and not even pregnancy will be an obstacle for them to continue with their sadomasochist relationship from time to time.
From the Feminine Inspiration sadomasochism is nothing new, it is something old in the history of human sexuality, what strikes us is the fact that this novel – with low literary quality- has become the top selling book of last year, among readers who are mainly women.
Sadism still sells, you just have to read the news about the Marquis de Sade; this week the French government has paid 5 million euros for the manuscript od his book “The 120 Days of Sodom”:
Also in this week, news about this novel appeared, and this is what led us to make an exhaustive review. These are tragic news, even though it is only one case (for the moment).
The question we ask is: What is happening with women’s sexuality? Does she need to read pornographic sadomasochist stories to get sexually aroused? Who has an interest in making this novel a best seller? We know that, culturally, pain, suffering, sacrifice and devotion to men has been a feminine given roll, but it had never had such good marketing as in this occasion. After years of feminist revolution; after decades of economic independence, this “best seller” shows us that women are very, very far away from liberation. And that on the contrary, if there isn’t an awakening to other perspectives, she will accept her submission with pleasure.
The profile of the readers of this book are mainly women, in their 30’s, married, mothers, although young women as well as mature ones like it as well… In fact, some literary critics have described it as: “Mom Porn”.
Millions and millions of women have read this trilogy around the world, and unfortunately, they eagerly wait for the movie, that will take to the big screen the sadomasochist scenes of the book, with detail.
Noticeable as well are some statistical data from the United States that tell us that women who have read this novel have shown an increase in their sexual desire, up to the point that they have registered an increase in pregnancies as well… They also show that the male response is of gratitude for the increasing ardor of their women, others, of complete incomprehension towards this phenomenon.
We might think it has a certain similarity with the “Twilight” Series because in both, the heroine ends up accepting the darkness of impressive males, which, although they love them, they can’t help hurting them. But we find differences as well: On one hand, Twilight is aimed for teenagers, with all its absolutism and idealism; while “Fifty Shades of Grey” is aimed for feminine readers with certain experience. Both novels are about a very intense love, but in Twilight the characters are impossible (vampires, werewolves), while in the other, there are no impossible love affairs and a pathological sexual connotation is included.
In general, human relationships have always included the dominant and submissive factor. The subjugation model is not very original. It has as well, a certain similarity with rape: What turns the rapist on is his absolute power over women in that moment, to see her suffering, resisting herself, and subjugated. They like power and control, and unfortunately, it seems like women are still stimulated by pleasing, by doing anything so that they can enjoy… We still vibrate in the suffering paradigm impregnated in our genome: suffering as a means of pleasure…
Sexual fantasies are a natural part of human sexuality, the problem is when, because of a sexual repression, of a lack of identification of what we sexually like, the imitation of a male sexuality, or just because we are bored, these fantasies turn into nightmares to find them stimulating.
From the Feminine Inspiration we believe that this trilogy offers us a sexual model that doesn’t invite us to imagination, but, on the contrary, it still bets on a subjugating model towards male’s sexual taste –the expert, the one that knows how, the one who can teach women (this is how this novel sets things)- preventing women discover which is her true feminine sexual vocation. The book doesn’t incite us to think which is the sexuality we like, but it tells us that we need to find an expert who can teach us what is going to be pleasurable to us, and what is not.
“Fifty Shades of Grey” makes us reflect about the big shadow of ignorance still above us, women. An ignorance so deep that has made us look for liberation in external factors, and has made us neglect what can really make us feel free: our mental, spiritual and emotional liberation. We have achieved some sort of equality, but not liberation, in any case, because we are still subdued to stereotypes that have enslaved us for many centuries. As well domesticated beings, we still defend with our own teeth our chains.
It is time to take the shadows off, because the sun is rising. The 21st century bets on changes, on transformation, on renovation. Without doubt, the feminine identification –and in this particular case her liberating sexual vocation- will be an indispensable element so that the sexuality of our species doesn’t turn into a shadow. To discover our sexuality is to discover whom we really are. And we are an infinite range of possibilities.
They told us when we where little: “The one who truly loves you will make you cry”. We have grown up, and our experience has taught us that LOVE with capital letters, is not a synonym of suffering. This is why saying “NO” is also very ladylike.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario