Filed under Geek Girl, Junk Drawer, Writing.

This week the movie based off the book “50 Shades of Grey” is coming out in theaters. I’ve seen quite a few strongly emotional posts from various Facebook friends regarding the book and the movie. I’m glad I have such a wide range of friends, those who have different views. This makes me think perhaps I don’t surround myself with only like minded people. Which is a good thing. Variety is good for growth and open mindedness.

 

That said, I don’t agree with either side. My more conservative friends warn  this movie/book is smut and pornography, demonstrating unhealthy relationships and ungodly, and women shouldn’t support it. My more liberal friends say this portrays BDSM in a bad light, not accurately and could misinform the general public with the idea that only people who have been abused are into BDSM.

 

Where do I stand? And I’ve read all three books. What do I think? I think the writing is mediocre at best, poor at worst. Still, its entertainment. I enjoyed reading the books. My 65 year old mother was the one who recommended them to me. She told me that both her and my sister were reading them. I figured, why not. The book is based off Twilight, which I haven’t read. But I’ve seen the movies and I can see where its coming from. Look, it’s not great literature and it’s not a guide for life. But I enjoy romance movies and books. There are a million mediocre romance movies out there. Between two and half stars to three stars at best. And I’ve watched some of them. This falls under that category. Getting heated about this book is a waste of time in my opinion. And this is my blog, an appropriate place for me to state what I think, right?

 

If you think this book is smut and pornography – you had best spend your time condemning a majority of TV series, movies, video games, and other books – than to focus on this one. Seriously, HBO series have way more spicy scenes than this book.

 

Also – don’t fret so much about how realistic this is…its a fictional book. It’s not a guide, or how-to. Not for dating, not for love, nor for BDSM. It’s about as much of a guide as “Pride and Prejudice”, “Superman”, or  “27 Dresses“, in other words, not so much.

 

I do think it has a message about self discovery. Exploring, learning about limits, and where each person may draw the line. Also learning how to trust and be comfortable with yourself and a partner. Even mediocre writing has a message of some kind.

 

My recommendation? Don’t take it too seriously, don’t use it as a guide, just enjoy it for entertainment and move on. And if you need a soapbox, find one that is more sturdy to stand on and fight the good fight.