Whether you’ve read the books or not, we’ve all heard of the wildly popular series of books and movies called "Fifty Shades of Grey." The first book caught fire during my time in high school when I wasn’t allowed to read it. Naturally, I did anyway (sorry, mom) and quickly was caught up in the storyline despite being able to immediately tell that the writing style in the first book was below par. Since the books took off, it seems as though certain people are all hot and bothered by the book and the popularity the concept behind it - BDSM - has gained. With the second movie coming to theaters soon, the series and the concept of BDSM are hot topics at the moment. The reason we, as a society, have become so fixated on a brand that explores touchy subjects like sex and personal kinks has a lot more to do with a social movement than it does women discovering they like to be tied down (even though it has helped many women discover what they like).
Sex has always been a touchy subject. For a very long time, it wasn’t something you talked about in any real context, especially if you were a woman. Sex and sexuality were deemed unacceptable to acknowledge unless in the privacy of your own home with your husband.
Despite the stigma placed on women showcasing their sexuality, sex and women’s sexuality were used to sell products in the early to mid-1900s. Ads would feature women in sexual manners to sell products that had nothing to do with sexuality and selling products to make women look more appealing to men (we still see this today) but in the same media, advertisements were prominent condemning women who expressed their sexuality.
Ads like these featured sexualized women to sell completely unrelated products like cigarettes and shoes. Ads today still use sexuality to sell products.
Ads promoting ironized yeast were huge in the early to mid-1900s to help women gain weight and boost their sexual appeal to men.
While there were ads taking advantage of women's sexuality, there were an equal amount of ads condemning women who embraced that sexuality.
Once the 70s brought about somewhat of a sexual revolution, the use of sexuality in ads and daily life has become more and more prominent. Celebrities push the envelope with sexual outfits, dancing has become more sensual and forms of media like movies and music have included more and more sexual content. The media has accepted the use of sexuality, but women are still condemned for embracing their own.
There had been a gradual improvement in the confidence of women in their sexuality but the book "Fifty Shades of Grey" gave women a new sense of community that empowered them to grab hold of their sexuality and find themselves within it. There is strength in numbers, and as the number of readers grew, the strength behind finding comfort in your sexuality grew along with it. Even if readers weren’t keen on the idea of a mega-rich stalker hanging them from the ceiling, that book gave them a medium to explore a subject that was normally kept hidden away from the public eye. What was previously a well-kept secret has suddenly become an empowering movement for women across the country.
The book has shown women that you can feel free to explore and embrace your sexuality. Figure out what you like and what you maybe don’t. If you don’t want to be spanked, explore a little and figure out what you do want. The book has helped to show women they shouldn't hide their sexuality just because it’s not ‘ladylike’. There's nothing wrong with exploring your sexuality, and "Fifty Shades of Grey" has started a movement across the country of women outwardly embracing their sexuality instead of being ashamed by it, and I'm all for it.
