In the UK, one incident of domestic violence is reported to the police every minute and two women are killed by a current or former partner every week on average, according to Women’s Aid. In the United States, one in five women have experienced sexual assault, which, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, is about 293, 000 victims every year. Worst of all, the vast majority of sexual abusers will never spend even a day in jail.
And so, while I in no way wish to suggest that domestic violence is only a female issue, which it is not, these statistics prove above all else that domestic violence is not ‘fun,’ ‘light-hearted,’ or in any way something that we should be making entertainment out of. So why is it being portrayed in this way in 21st century cinema?
Because it is with these horrifying statistics in mind, that we await the release of the, supposedly eagerly anticipated film, Fifty Shades of Grey. A film adaptation of the infamous novel by E. L. James, the most positive reviews of which call it ‘cliché-ridden’ and ‘stilted.’ And aren’t we all excited?
I haven’t seen it yet, no one has, but I think I can predict with some certainty what the majority of scenes of the rated-18 movie will be like, and it’s not anything I want to see. In the book, Anastasia Steele must call Christian Grey (her supposedly loving boyfriend) ‘Sir’ and must always be hair-free ‘down there.’ Aside from the demoralizing and abusive sex scenes that follow, it is undeniably sexist points like this which truly convince me that Fifty Shades is by no means ‘light-hearted’ or fun; it seems clear that the character Ana is not in an empowering and safe relationship where she can live and treat her body the way she wants and, as a result of this, the film needs to be taken in a very serious way indeed. I don’t know about you, but any relationship where one person (in this case the woman) is forced to do certain things against her will, or is forced to consider their partner as the one in power, is not okay with me.
In fact, to me, this sounds more like a portrayal of domestic abuse. So why is it that, when I bring this up, people tell me to ‘lighten-up’ or that ‘it’s just a bit of fun’ and is a way for a woman to ‘explore her sexuality?’ I like to explore my sexuality as much as the next person, but I cannot support a sexual relationship where the other person involved requires me to see them as the one with all the power and control. Fifty Shades of Grey, without a doubt, presents these kinds of relationships as okay, normal even, to be expected. And this is something that we should be campaigning against, not supporting and creating entertainment out of.
Don’t get me wrong, I support women being able to do what they want, and am aware that many women are into the BDSM scene (bondage, discipline, sadism, masochism). But there’s something about Anastasia Steele which doesn’t scream consent; she is a woman who lets a man beat her ‘out of love,’ a woman who can supposedly only be empowered by submitting, and this utterly backwards logic can only be seen as supporting the patriarchy rather than campaigning against it.
Maybe Anastasia does want all of this, maybe I’m wrong, I’m happy to admit that. But the feminist inside of me is still screaming at even the thought of it all. I like to support films, novels and culture that support women. Ones that show strong, independent women who can live without men, who can be equal to men, who well and truly support feminism and who smash the patriarchy, stereotypes and all the weird and horrible sexualisations that are thrown at them.
This is a movie that simply doesn’t do that. Even if you side with this argument, saying that there is nothing wrong with Fifty Shades because Ana is consenting, there’s still just nothing right about it; it offers to advance the cause for women, but rather moves the feminist movement backwards. The film allows men to assume that all women want this kind of a relationship, that all women would be happy sitting back and letting themselves be abused, that all women are comfortable watching a horribly demoralizing and sexist movie which, apart from anything else, appears to have absolutely no solid plotline anyway.
And so it is because of all of this – the horrible inferiority the female protagonist has, the vile demoralizing of her and her body and the image it gives about women in general – that I will most definitely not be giving this movie any of my money, and I will not support it in any way.
I’m not alone; domestic violence campaigners in America have called for a boycott of the film, suggesting that those considering watching the movie spend the cost of their tickets on a donation to women’s shelters instead, promoting the hashtag ‘#50DollarsNot50Shades.’
So I will not stand back and let people tell me that I’m taking this movie the wrong way and that I should stop being so stubborn about it. After all, I’m told similar things everyday by people who tell me I’m a man-hater when I say that I’m a feminist, the two responses are in the same bracket, and it’s my least favourite argument in the world. Because sticking up for women is not something to be frowned upon or laughed at, it’s a seriously important part of our society, and one that isn’t supported enough.
Maybe if the people saying that it is all a bit of fun had experienced domestic and sexual abuse themselves, they wouldn’t be quite so ready to use it as entertainment.
Photo sources: www.justjared.com