By Sydney Quinn
I have never read the books, but Wikipedia offers a good amount of information that gives me sufficient evidence to back this argument up: you should not watch the new “50 Shades of Grey” movie.
You really shouldn’t be watching any “50 Shades of Grey” movie, but this one is the newest.
50 SOG, when you subtract the sex toys and dramatic music, is a series about a woman in a destructive relationship with a guy who ultimately has severe trust and companionship issues.
Throughout the first two movies (plot summaries by Wikipedia), Ana constantly weighs the pros and cons of her relationship with Christian Grey. He’s rich and attractive and mysterious, but also highkey controlling. He is adamant about practicing BDSM and forces her to abide to sexual contracts. He may not be what people think of when it comes to abusers, but I think physically tying someone down during sex against their will and convincing them it’s the same thing as a healthy relationship counts as a form of harm.
This is the third movie, and she is still putting up with him. Even worse, people are still paying money to see a movie about a woman constantly going back to the same destructive relationship.
I’m glad I didn’t read the books because just the plot summary made me queasy. Spoilers, (sorry, not really sorry) at the end of “Fifty Shades Freed”, she still winds up with him after he promises he’ll find a psychiatrist to help him with his traumatic childhood problems. At the end of the movie, they’re still having BDSM sex. He is still the dominant one in the relationship. Nothing has changed.
It’s not whatever. It doesn’t matter how many times you say it’s just fiction or fantasy. It’s not sexy.
Abusive relationships are real and can happen to anyone, men or women or whatever gender you identify as. The fact that people still go watch these movies is upsetting because it shows that they support the sexualization of abusive relationships.
Though they end up together, it doesn’t change the fact that she has to fight him for her own space in the relationship. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s 2018 and women are still fighting for equal rights, still fighting to be treated as human beings. And this movie promotes the image of a woman who is not only cool with being dominated by a guy, but also giving up her freedom because she wants to be loved more than she can actually love herself.
That being said, there are many other things you could do this weekend, like watching the Office. #Jam is the real OTP. Fill your weekend with a healthy relationship instead.
Sydney is a freshman
